Falling in to Place
by xoElle23
Summary: My first Glee fic. I've been wanting to write this for a long time.
1. Confrontations and Explanations

**This is for all of the other Gleeks out there, who hold that L above their foreheads with pride. **

**And also, it's dedicated to Kailee, my new beta and friend. Girlie, you're amazing and this story wouldn't be half of what it is now without you. **

**Disclaimer: The only part of Glee I own is the Road to Sectionals DVD and a t-shirt. The rest (unfortunately) isn't mine. **

**-GLEE-**

"_I have to tell you something…"_

"_Because sometimes, being special…sucks."_

"_You forgot your keys." "No I didn't."_

"_We cool dude?"_

"_Here's your chance, don't screw it up."_

It had been a long week.__Between Ms. Pillsbury taking over Glee club when Mr. Schuester was disqualified, finding out about Quinn and Puck's lie, quitting Glee, football ending, going to Sectionals in Mr. Schue's car**, **coming up with numbers to perform less than an _hour_ before going on stage, and coming out as the winners despite it all.

Finn Hudson was exhausted, to say the least. Over the weekend, he had done pretty much nothing at all, holing himself up in his room and sorting through his thoughts when he wasn'tcatching up on some much needed sleep. He had explained the situation to his mother, who had not been happy at all. However, she seemed to think Quinn had it hard enough already, so when the blonde came by to pick up her things Mrs. Hudson had kept it civil. She seemed to understand that he needed to work through this on his own though, so aside from the occasional offer to bring him something to eat, Finn's mother left him alone.

He had no clue what it felt like to have your heart broken in half, but he guessed that he was pretty close. True, he and Quinn had been fading for a little while before she got pregnant, but as soon as he found out he was going to be a father everything changed. It didn't matter what had happened so far, what mattered now was his child. When he found out the baby wasn't his, he was crushed. Because even though the weight of supporting and raising a child at his age was a lot for anyone to handle, he had fallen in love with that baby. He had sung to it, thought about it for countless hours and made so many plans so that his kid__would have a dad it__could be proud of. And in the span of about ten minutes that had all been taken away. Now, he didn't know what to feel.

When Monday morning rolled around, Finn made sure to get to school__extra early. He had some things to say that were long overdue."__

"Rachel."

The brunette__was already at her locker, as he predicted, and her head snapped up at the sound of his voice.

"Finn, hi. You're here awfully early."

"I needed to talk to you, it's kind of important." he said bluntly. "Do you have a second?"

Rachel nodded and shut the locker's metal door. "Of course. How about we go to the choir room?" She would have walked with him to the Sahara Desert if that was what he wanted, but she kept that to herself. Immediately, fears, and uncertainties began spinning through her mind." Maybe he was mad at her for telling him. After all, it was her fault they had almost lost Sectionals and had to bring along that Jacob Ben Israel creep.

"Perfect."

He led the way to the room often used for Glee rehearsals, with Rachel having to almost jog to keep up with his nervous and somewhat excited pace. They soon arrived at the empty room, all other usual inhabitants having not arrived yet.

"So, how are you?" she set her books down on an empty chair and sat on the piano bench, causing Finn to notice just how right she looked in front of it, as if she had been born to play; like she had always belonged there. Finn dropped his backpack on the ground half-hazardly and went to stand in front of her, far too jittery to sit.

"I've been thinking." He announced, ignoring her question. "All weekend."

Rachel nodded slowly, obviously trying to figure out where he was going and nervously biting her lip. "About what?"

"About everything! Quinn and Puck and the baby and Sectionals and winning…and you." He let out a breath. "I've thought a lot about everything, and I realized that I needed to talk to you. And I know you like to talk too, but I need you to just let me say it all and then you can say something, okay?"

Seeing his eyes so wide and alive, Rachel had no choice but to nod and try to ignore the anxiety becoming more painfully obvious on her face. "Okay, go ahead."

"Okay. So I know you like me, Rachel. I mean, you kind of made it obvious when you kissed me and everything. And I know I was complete jerk for lying to you when I kissed you, and I still get mad at myself when I think about it because it was wrong and I hurt your feelings." The pitch of his voice kept going up and down, sentences coming faster and faster as he really got into his speech and every so often his eyes would flicker towards her, as if to confirm that he still held her attention.

"And I know a lot of the stuff that's been going on hasn't been fair to you, and I'm sorry for that. The thing is, though, that I like you too. I mean, like-like." He sighed, clearly frustrated at how stupid and childish he sounded. "You know what I mean. I have for awhile. Since before I found out about the baby and stuff. But even now that I know that Quinn lied, I still have to work some things out. And I know it's not fair to you at all, but I want you to wait for me. I want to be with you Rachel, I swear, but there are some things that I need to take care of. Because everything is really messed up right now and I don't want us to be messed up. I want it to be really awesome and just…not mixed in with all this other crap, you know?"

Finn finally stopped, his breathing somewhat heavy after talking so much. "Okay, you can talk now."

The brunette girl slowly shook her head. "I…I don't know what to say."

Finn smiled. "There's a first."

Rachel rolled her eyes, but there was an obvious look of relief spread across her face.

"I really hope you say yes," he said honestly. "Because I really need you Rachel. Even getting through all this, I need your help. I have no clue what I'm doing and it scares the hell out of me, but you always seem to know what to do and you make everything seem a lot less scary."

Rachel nodded, taking a moment to think everything over. Finally she glanced up at him, a small sense of epiphany and surprise still clear on her face. "Yes."

"Yes?" His tone was nervous, but eager as well, as if he was trying not to get his hopes up too early.

"Yes. I'll help you." She elaborated. "I'll always be here for you Finn. _We all need somebody to lean on_," she sang softly. "Remember?"

"Thank you." Finn pulled her into a tight hug, a smile coming over his face. "I promise I'll make it up to you."

Rachel shook her head. "You don't have to. That's just what everyone does for the people they care about."

**-GLEE-**

Later that day, just as the lunch bell was ringing, Finn made his way over to his ex-girlfriend as she exited Algebra 2, keeping to herself as the other students spilled out into the hallway chatting with friends. She held her books close to her bulging stomach, as if to guard herself from the stares and harsh words she now dealt with on a regular basis.

"Hey Quinn?"

The blonde stopped, her eyes wide with surprise that he was speaking to her.

"Hey." Her voice was quiet and timid, as if she was afraid that he had come to yell at her again.__

"Um, do you think maybe we could meet after school in the choir room? To talk?" Rachel had told him earlier that the best way to deal with a situation like this was to face the music and discuss everything, even if it meant talking about stuff nobody really wanted to talk about, in a calm and adult manner.

A visible look of relief washed over Quinn's face. "Yeah, we can do that." she agreed.

Finn nodded. "Okay, um, make sure that Puck comes too. I'll see you then."

"Okay. Bye Finn." She raised her hand to wave, but he was already gone.

**-GLEE-**

"Are you sure about this Finn? It's really none of my business."

"Rachel, I told you, I want you here. You make me less nervous and I need you to basically direct this thing. I don't know what I'm doing. Just, do what you normally do. You're good at telling people how to do stuff right."

It was 3:00 on the dot and the two teens were in the choir room. Rachel was sitting in a seat near the front of the room while Finn paced back and forth along a path between the chairs, both of them waiting nervously for the others to arrive.

Rachel had suggested the choir room to hold the meeting of sorts because it was neutral ground for all parties, big enough so they each had plenty of space since there was no Glee practice today, and, although she hadn't said this out loud, there were plenty of people close by, in case Finn decided on a second attempt to break Puck's jaw.

"Hey, just so you know, I'm really glad you're here."

Rachel glanced up to see his eyes on her as they shared a smile.

The sound of the practice room door opening ended the short moment of peace as Puck and Quinn made their way in, both looking a bit nervous.

"Hi Finn." Quinn was the first to speak. "And…Rachel."

"I asked her to come." Finn answered her unasked question. "She's here to… what's it called?"

"Mediate." Rachel supplied quickly. "Finn asked me to lead this discussion since everyone seems a bit uncomfortable and out of sorts. If the two of you have an objection I'd be perfectly fine to leave-"

"You should stay." Puck spoke up. "She has a point. None of us really know how to talk about this crap."

"Quinn?"

The blonde nodded. "Yeah, you can stay Rachel."

"Okay, well, I guess we should get started." The four teens sat down awkwardly and waited for Rachel to begin. "Um, I'm sure Finn has some questions for the two of you." She said slowly. "Finn?"

"I…" Finn paused and glanced at Rachel, who nodded encouragingly. "I want to know why you lied to me. Actually, I know why, but _how_ could you lie to me? I mean, what did I ever do to either of you? What made you think I deserved this?"

"We're so sorry-" Quinn started, but he cut her off.

"No! I don't want to hear that! I've heard it a million times and I get that!" he exploded angrily. "I know that you're sorry! I want to know how you could lie to me like that." He frowned. "You were going to let me go my entire life thinking this baby was mine, let me support it, raise it, and give up any dreams that I had to take care of it. How could you do that? I mean, we've been friends since we were kids, and I can't believe that you would do this to me." He glared at his ex-best friend for a moment before moving on. Especially you Quinn, after you said all that stuff about loving me and caring about me. I'm genuinely curious how in the hell you could do it."

"I wanted what was best for the baby." She finally answered shamefully, unable to look him in the eye. "I wasn't thinking about you or me or Puck or anybody else. I just wanted this kid to have the very best I could give it."__Quinn glanced down at her shoes, tears in her voice. "I was selfish and I was extremely mean to you and Puck. I doubted him and wanted you to be everything I didn't think he was. And I am so sorry Finn."

Puck nodded. "We both are. But we're gonna make it work."

"So you're going to keep it?" Rachel couldn't help but ask.

Quinn nodded. "We talked about it and we know it's going to be hard, but we decided that adoption was just something we couldn't do."

"Are you back home?" Finn asked.

"She's staying with me." Puck answered.

He nodded, and Puck kept going.

"Look man, I know you're pissed. But I'm gonna take care them." For the first time in awhile the sincerity in his voice didn't sound like it was a joke.__

Finn waited a moment before responding. "I think I'm gonna be able to forgive you guys eventually. Like, maybe not right away, but eventually."

"We can respect that." Quinn said understandingly. "And we're always here for you, even if you're angry at us."

"Same here," he nodded. "If you guys need anything or, you know, stuff with the baby…"

"Thanks man."

Quinn smiled sadly. "We should probably go, I'm kind of tired." She slowly began an attempt to rise from the chair, but due to her large stomach Puck soon grabbed her arm and helped her stand.

"Yeah, good idea." They all stood up and Puck grabbed his and Quinn's things before heading towards the door.

"Later."

Quinn held up her hand and gave a small wave. "Bye Finn." And just as she reached the

door, she stopped and turned back. "Rachel?"

The brunette looked over to her from across the room. "Yes Quinn?"

Seeing the other girl wave her over, Rachel soon joined her by the door, leaning close to listen.

"Take care of him." Quinn whispered tearfully. "And thanks."

Rachel smiled warmly as an unspoken truce was exchanged between the two girls.

"You're welcome."

"Yeah, thanks Berry." Puck nodded at her once before pushing the door open and holding it back for Quinn to walk through. "See ya."

"Bye."

The door closed with a small thud and Finn turned to her.

"What was that about?"

Rachel smiled. "You know us girls, we love our secrets."

"Ah." He nodded, obviously satisfied with that answer. He had learned a long time ago that there were a lot of things that he just wouldn't understand when it came to girls, and it was easier just to accept it and move on then spend time trying to figure out one of the world's unsolvable mysteries. "You were amazing."

"I didn't do anything, you're the one that took charge and confronted them." She said proudly. "You were great. And don't you feel better now that you've gotten that off your chest?"

"Yeah, actually, I do. And it's all because of you." He smiled. "I'm kind of hungry, you want to get something to eat and maybe catch a movie?"

Rachel nodded, a grin of her own beginning to form. She slipped her hand into his offered palm, their fingers lacing together almost instantly. "That sounds wonderful."

"The first of many dates to come." He promised.

That sounded perfect to them both.

**-GLEE-**

**Well? What'd ya think? Review and stay tuned! There's more to come!**


	2. Showers and Regionals

"Oh my god, this is so cute!"

"Well, someone has to look out for this child's well being appearance wise. I figured I might as well rise to the challenge and start early."

Quinn smiled and set the pink sequined baby dress down. "I love it. Thank you Kurt."

It had been a few months since the disaster that was Sectionals had occurred, and a lot had changed. Puck and Quinn had started acting like a couple, Finn and Rachel had made their relationship official, and Finn had finally forgiven Puck and Quinn for everything they did.

Now the entire Glee club, Mr. Schuester, and Ms. Pillsbury were sitting in the choir room enjoying a baby shower Rachel had organized for Quinn, Mr. Schuester had even cancelled rehearsal for the day so they could have the party.

"Open mine next." Brittany said excitedly. "It's the one with the green bow."__

Puck grabbed the small package and handed it to Quinn.

"Um, Brit? I don't understand." Quinn held up the two bars of soap and loofa with a confused expression on her face.

Santana sighed and rolled her eyes. "Brittany, I thought we went over this."

"Yeah, but I still think you're wrong." The blonde shook her head stubbornly. "It has to be called a shower for a reason. So I decided to go with my idea."

Quinn let out a small giggle. It was easier just to let it go than to hurt her friend's feelings. "Thanks Brit, I'm sure the baby will love it."

Brittany grinned and gave Santana a smug look, obviously happy that her assumptions had been correct.

"Okay, this one is from Finn and I." Rachel pushed a large package wrapped in pink paper with gold stars and a large gold bow towards her. __

Quinn and Puck quickly tore off the paper and identical looks of shock flashed across their faces.

"You got us a stroller?"

"The seat comes off so you can also use it as a carrier or a car seat." Rachel told them. "My dads said it was the best of both worlds and completely__vital when caring for an infant."

"This must have cost a fortune." Puck muttered, still examining the box with interest.

Finn shook his head. "Don't worry about it."

"Thank you both." Quinn stood up, which proved to be a bit difficult with her large stomach, and gave them each a firm hug.

Puck followed her actions, only to substitute Finn's hug for a handshake, and nodded. "Yeah, thanks guys."

"Okay, let's not get all sentimental and stuff." Mercedes stood up. "You've opened all the gifts and we've ate and played games, now it's time for the big finale." She glanced at Mr. Schuester, who nodded.

"Wait, what are you doing?"

"Just sit there and watch." Artie ordered as he and everyone else headed to the front of the room where Mercedes was giving directions.

"Ya'll ready? Okay Mr. Schue: one, two, three, four!" Will hit the play button on the boom box, and the group all began humming, grins on each of their faces as they began to sing.

"_So no one told you life was gonna be this way *clap*clap*clap*clap*  
Your job's a joke, you're broke, your love life's DOA." _Rachel sang.__

Finn chimed in for the next part, "_It's like you're always stuck in second gear  
When it hasn't been your day, your week, your month, or even your year_

but.."

"I'll be there for you  
When the rain starts to pour  
I'll be there for you  
Like I've been there before  
I'll be there for you  
'Cuz you're there for me too.." The group laughed a little at the cheesiness of the words as they sang in harmony.

Tina began to sing her part. _"You're still in bed at ten and work began at eight  
You've burned your breakfast so far... things are goin' great."_

"Your mother warned you there'd be days like these  
Oh but she didn't tell you when the world has brought  
You down to your knees that.." Artie added.__

"I'll be there for you  
When the rain starts to pour  
I'll be there for you  
Like I've been there before  
I'll be there for you  
'Cuz you're there for me too..."

"No one could ever know me  
No one could ever see me  
Seems you're the only one who knows  
What it's like to be me," Mercedes sang passionately.

_  
_Kurt smiled as he sang his part, _"Someone to face the day with  
Make it through all the rest with  
Someone I'll always laugh with  
Even at my worst I'm best with you, yeah!"_

"It's like you're always stuck in second gear  
When it hasn't been your day, your week, your month,  
or even your year..."

The group put their arms around each other for the last part, swaying together and laughing hysterically.

"_I'll be there for you  
When the rain starts to pour  
I'll be there for you  
Like I've been there before  
I'll be there for you  
'Cuz you're there for me too..._

I'll be there for you  
I'll be there for you  
I'll be there for you  
'Cuz you're there for me too..."

As the kids held the last note their voices slowly faded to silence, only to be quickly replaced by applause from Quinn, Puck, Mr. Schuester, and Ms. Pillsbury.

"You guys, that was so sweet!" The young mother-to-be said tearfully. "Come here!"

Grinning, the teenagers gathered around the crying blonde and joined for a group hug.

"That was awesome." Puck said sincerely. "Seriously, it was kick ass."

Will sent him a warning look language, but kept his mouth shut. After all, it was partly Puck's shower too…. __

"Best baby shower ever." Quinn agreed.

"Okay guys, I think that's it." Will stood up and got their attention. "Real quick, before you head out, I just want to remind everyone that we have one last rehearsal on Friday before Regionals. Now, nobody has talked to Sue about our songs, right?" he eyed Brittany closely.

"She's clear; we've all kept an eye on her." Santana spoke up.

Will nodded. "Good. Everyone remember to be here Saturday in the parking lot by 9:30AM with your bags. The bus should be here at ten and I want us all ready to go." He smiled. "Get pumped guys; this is your big moment."

"I thought Sectionals was our big moment." Kurt reminded him.

"Well, this is your bigger moment. Now go home and get some rest."

Regionals were being held in Richmond, which was nearly four hours away from Lima. So instead of getting back at around one in the morning, Will had decided it would be easier just to rent hotel rooms for the night and head back to Lima the next morning. Now that they actually had funding from the school, and since Sue's fallout with Figgins, they finally__had the money to do so. And his brief disqualification was over, so he and Emma would be going along as chaperones.

Friday came and went, the final rehearsal having been their best performance yet, and when Saturday morning rolled around Will was positive that New Directions was ready for the competition. Everyone had showed up on time and fifteen minutes after the bus had arrived, the luggage was packed in and they were on their way. Soon the entire bus was occupied; Mr. Schue and Ms. Pillsbury were talking quietly at the front of the bus, Santana and Brittany were looking through fashion magazines with Mercedes and Kurt and arguing over whether or not leopard print was still in, Tina and Artie were listening to music while Matt and Mike played games on their cell phones, and Quinn was fast asleep on Puck's shoulder.

"I'm so excited for this. I really think we have a shot." Rachel said as she rested her head against Finn's chest.

"Me too. It would be really cool if we won."

"We just have to stay calm and focused. We can only do our best."

Finn smiled. "Yeah, but come on Rach, you have to admit that we're pretty awesome."

"We are quite excellent." She agreed. __

"We're beyond excellent. Confidence is key, that's what you always tell me, remember?"

Rachel smiled as he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips. "You're right."

"Um, try and keep it PG please." Puck spoke up from across the aisle. "Some of us don't enjoy watching the two of you make out."

Will and Emma glanced back at them from where they sat at the front of the bus.

"Guys-" But he was interrupted by a certain blonde waking up.

Quinn stirred a bit before sitting up. "What's going on?"

Puck rolled his eyes. "Finn and Berry are being gross."

She laughed. "Leave them alone, Puck."

"How are you feeling Quinn?" Rachel asked.

"I'm okay. A little nauseas but other than that I'm fine."

"Here," She passed a water bottle over to Quinn. "This might help."

"Thanks."

The rest of the ride went smoothly, most of the kids sleeping almost the entire trip, and only one bathroom stop had to be made. (Everyone except Emma had gone, because she claimed that she would never have to go badly enough to use a fast food restaurant's bathroom.) By two-twenty the bus had arrived at the hotel where Will checked in and began to hand out room assignments.

"Okay, there are two beds and a couch in each room, so we're splitting into threes with Em- I mean, Ms. Pillsbury and I sharing a room."

"Wonder if that means they'll be sharing a bed too." Mercedes muttered.

The two teachers' faces went bright red as snickers were heard among the students.

"Anyway, Ms. Pillsbury has your room assignments and I have the keys. So, Emma, if you will…"

"Oh, of course." Emma glanced down at the clipboard in her hands and began reading off groups. "In room 406 is Finn, Puck, and Artie. In room 410 will be Mike, Matt, and Kurt. Across the hall in room 405 are Rachel, Mercedes, and Tina. Room 409 is Quinn,

Brittany, and Santana. And Mr. Schuester and I are in room 407."

"A few quick rules to remember: everyone sleeps in their assigned room- no exceptions. Everyone is in their room with the door closed and locked by midnight- no exceptions. You are not to leave the hotel without me or Ms. Pillsbury- no exceptions." Will ticked each item off on his fingers as he spoke. "You are to always have a cell phone with you at all times- no exceptions. And if you go anywhere in the hotel, even to grab something from the vending machines, you don't go alone,"

"No exceptions," the all recited dully.

"And if you need anything after you're in your rooms, you call either mine or Ms. Pillsbury's cell phone, no matter what time it is. I think that's it. You guys can go up to your rooms and get settled, meet back down here in the lobby at three sharp, we have to be there by three-thirty. Go." Everyone grabbed their keys and headed to the elevators, nervous and excited for what was to come.

**-GLEE-**

"Alright, you guys are up next."

New Directions was backstage at regionals and Vocal Adrenaline was in the middle of their performance. "Now I know these guys are good, but we have something that they don't: heart. And that makes us great. So when you go out there, don't think about the competition or winning or anything else. Just be in the moment, do your best, and have fun." He smiled. "You're ready. Go out there and show them that we already know that."

The group of misfit teens nodded, for some strange reason Mr. Schue's cheesy pep talk actually seemed to work this time. Hearing a huge round of applause, they knew that Vocal Adrenaline had finished their performance with a bang, and were now clearing the stage.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, McKinley High School's New Directions!"

Will grinned encouragingly at the group. "Go get em!"

As usual, it had been decided that Rachel would take the beginning solo, but this time the group had voted with a genuine unanimous answer being reached. Their costumes were similar to the ones from Sectionals, with everyone in black, but this time the girl's dresses were strapless with black lace at the top; the guys still wore black pants and shirts, but the sashes on the dresses, headbands, and boy's ties were all emerald green.

As the spotlight hit Rachel, who was standing center stage, she opened her mouth and began to sing in the clear and beautiful voice that left no room for questions concerning what she was born to do.

"_I don't need a lot of things  
I can get by with nothing  
Of all the blessings life can bring  
I've always needed something  
But I've got all I want...  
When it comes to loving you  
You're my only reason  
You're my only truth_

I need you like water  
Like breath, like rain  
I need you like mercy  
From heaven's gate  
There's a freedom in your arms  
That carries me through  
I need you…"

The crowd was clearly getting into the music, and by the time Rachel had finished the song the rest of the Glee Club walked out from the wings of the stage. They launched into their second number, "Life Is A Highway" from the cover by Rascal Flatts, and their big finish had been Tina's idea.

"_You're not alone  
Together we stand  
I'll be by your side, you know I'll take your hand…" _

Together they stood indeed. And finally, after everything they had been through, they were all happy to be there.

**-GLEE-**

**Hope you liked it ****J**** Oh, and the song Rachel sang was I Need You by LeAnn Rimes. Don't forget to review! There's more on its way!**


	3. The Results

"This is torture." __

Rachel looked up from where she was pacing a few feet away. The entire group was backstage waiting for the judges to reach a decision and crown the winners. In the small area New Directions had claimed just a little ways off from stage left they group of fourteen was spread out over a small blue couch, a few plastic chairs, and the hard floor. Anticipation and excitement hung in the air, but the biggest thing in the room was a sense of fear.

"Mercedes, this is all a part of the process. You just have to stay focused and stop worrying."

"Is that why you're trying to make permanent tracks on the concrete floor?"

"Okay, so maybe I'm a little nervous. But that's a good thing. Being nervous means we have something to lose. Is it warm in here or is it just me?" she fanned herself off with her hand. "I think I need some air."

"Calm down Rachel, you need to get a hold of yourself. Your team needs you." She muttered to herself as she made her way outside. "Just do the breathing exercises your vocal coaches taught you when you were four. In, out. In, out."

"You know, talking to yourself is the first sign of going crazy." Finn joked as he came up beside her.

"I think people already see me as crazy." Rachel reminded him.

Finn shook his head. "No, not crazy just… focused. Okay, maybe a little crazy." He shrugged and then added, "But I like crazy."

The dark haired beauty smiled and let out a small laugh, so Finn got to the point.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine; just need a second to get it together."

"Relax," Finn wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her. "Even if we lose, we all know that it wasn't for lack of effort. We did our best."

"I know." She leaned close and savored the simple smell of him. "But I really, really want this. Not just for me, but for all of us. We've worked really hard and I'd hate to see it be for nothing."

"Hey, it wasn't for nothing. Look around, we're a real team now." He chuckled. "And we're not ashamed of it. Even after everything that happened, I think it's safe to say we're friends now. Most of the time."

"You're right." Rachel took a deep breath and looked up at him, smiling. "Thanks for calming me down."

Finn grinned and pressed a kiss to her lips. "Anytime. And by the way, I overheard Mr. Schue talking about a victory party tonight after we get out of here."

"But we don't even know if we won yet."

He shrugged. "So what? If we lose we can have an un-victory party."

Rachel laughed. "Good idea."

**-GLEE-**

"Are you alright?" Tina asked as Rachel and Finn made their way back inside.

Rachel nodded. "Yeah, I'm good."

"Good, because they're about to announce the winners." Will said coming up behind them. The group nervously peeked out from behind the curtain to see the emcee standing at the podium, ready to start.

They knew that it was going to be close. Vocal Adrenaline been amazing, just as expected: fabulous costumes, flawless vocal numbers, and extensive choreography that even Rachel had been impressed by. And the crowd had loved it. But they had done well too.

Rachel's solo had been impeccable and their dance moves, while simple, hadn't been messed up either. Their group number had been lively and the crowd had _seemed_ in to it… It had been good overall. But had it been good _enough_?

"Third place in the competition goes to….The Truman High School Lightening Rods!"

"What kind of a gay ass name is that?" Puck whispered.

"The runner up of the Show Choir Regional Competition is…"

"This is it; it's between you guys and Vocal Adrenaline." Will said quietly. "I know it."

The Glee kids immediately grabbed hands and closed their eyes tightly, each heart beating ten times faster than usual. They knew that they had done well and even if they lost they all knew they had something to be proud of. Everyone had worked hard and done their best, but come on. How cool would it be if they actually pulled this off?

The entire auditorium was silent, and the tension was so thick that it hung tangibly in the air, almost as if it held a separate, physical presence."__

"The runner up is……..Vocal Adrenaline!"

The group's eyes opened slowly as they looked at each other. Did that mean….? It couldn't be.

"Which means that our new champions are William McKinley High School's New Directions!"

Suddenly, the room erupted into cheers and screams of joy. As the kids ran up on stage to receive their prize, the audience filled with applause. The humongous trophy was handed to Finn and soon the rest of the club gathered around it and held it up high while dozens of flashbulbs went off.

Will and Emma soon joined them, only to find Quinn, Rachel, and surprisingly Kurt in tears, Mercedes still letting out screams, and the rest of the kids either jumping around or dancing with happiness to no particular beat.

"WE DID IT!" Mercedes yelled and she was met with thirteen other shouts of…well, Glee.

After all, this was what it was all about.

**-GLEE-**

"Here's to the new champs!" Puck announced holding his bottle of root beer up in the air. (Puck had tried to persuade Mr. Schuester into buying a round of Bud Lights for the team, but even Will had his limits. And getting arrested was not in the itinerary for this trip, as he so kindly reminded the underage teen.)

"And to kicking Vocal Adrenaline's butt!" Mike added.

"And to not being sabotaged this time!" added Will.

"To us!" yelled Kurt.

The rest of the group nodded in agreement and held up their drinks, echoing his words. "To us!"

To celebrate their newfound championship, New Directions had taken over the hotel's restaurant to hold their victory party. A round of soft drinks were ordered along with all kinds of food of the grilled and fried variety and Will had even gone to a near by bakery to pick up a small sheet cake for dessert. The delicious treat was covered by a thick layer of vanilla frosting and a message had been scrawled across the front in yellow (the closest color they had to gold, to represent champions) icing that read: CONGRATULATIONS TO THE NEW REGIONAL CHAMPS!

It was the perfect party and everyone was having a blast. After grabbing slices of cake, the kids crowded around the large table in the center of the room, basking in the glory that came with winning such a title. However, two key members seemed to be missing. Ordinarily such a privelidge would not have been allowed, but because they had done such an amazing job and helped the team come so far, Will and Emma had allowed Finn and Rachel to duck out for a walk around the hotel just the two of them after they had eaten their cake. (Plus there was the fact that this request was not illegal, Will had pointed out when Puck had claimed unfair treatment.)

Which is how they ended up standing outside near the huge porcelain fountain near the hotel's entrance later that night.

"I think tonight was one of the best nights of my life." Finn said with a nod.

Rachel glanced up at him from her place firmly against his chest. "What were your other best days?" she asked curiously.

"Well, there was a birthday when I was eight that really rocked." He decided. "And the whole day of Sectionals wasn't so great, but singing and winning was pretty fun. And there's the day that we finally got together for real."

The brunette smiled. "That was a pretty amazing day." She agreed.

"_How is it that we always end up back here?" Rachel asked. After nearly a week and a half since the Puck and Quinn confrontation, the two of them had spent nearly every day together doing anything and everything. Today, Finn had sporadically decided that they could both use a day to just let loose, so they had just spent the entire day at a local amusement park, stuffing themselves with junk food and riding roller coasters until they wanted to puke. Now it was going on nearly seven o'clock at night and the two of them were sitting on the edge of the stage in the auditorium, their legs dangling over the side showing their difference in height more than ever. _

_Finn laughed a bit. "I don't know. But the janitor is always around and he never seems to mind letting us in."_

"_A fact for which I am always grateful."_

_He smiled. "You know, you look really pretty today." _

_Rachel blushed and glanced down at her body self-consciously. Her hair was up high in a messy ponytail and she had on a pink tank-top, blue jean shorts, and white flip-flops. The light coat of make-up she had brushed on this morning was almost completely faded, and she smelled of sweat, fried food, and the outdoors. _

"_I'm a mess." she replied._

_Finn shook his head. "Nah, you look… I don't know. Different. But good different, more relaxed. It's cool. It's like, I like they way you dress normally too, but you don't have to try so hard all the time, you know?" he shrugged and then added simply, "You're amazing just the way you are." _

_Rachel looked up at him, her heart beating rapidly inside her chest. That was one of the nicest things anyone had ever said to her in her life. But apparently Finn wasn't done, because he kept going._

"_Truthfully Rachel, you could probably wear just about anything in the world and it wouldn't matter to me. I mean, you're really good looking. But I fell for you because of who you are, not what you look like."_

_Okay, she took it back. That was the nicest thing anyone had ever said to her. His words were so simple and straightforward, but they held so much sincerity and meaning. To her they meant the world. _

_She wanted to say something equally as amazing back to him. To explain just how much he meant to her and how much she admired his strength and bravery and honesty and his view on the goodness of others. But all she managed to choke out was a small, "Thanks." Otherwise she feared she might start crying._

_Finn didn't seem to notice. He turned to face her, his eyes wide with excitement and a bit of nerves._

"_I'm ready." He told her seriously. "I don't want you to think that I'm rushing through anything or that I'm taking you as a second choice or anything Rachel, because I know it hasn't been very long since everything with Quinn and Puck went down. But I'm ready; I'm ready to be the guy that you've been waiting for. And I know that I'm ready because before when I used to think about kissing you I felt like I was being unfair to you or Quinn or both of you. But now when I think about kissing you, and I've been doing that a lot lately, trust me," he grinned smugly in a typical boy manner. "Now when I think about that I can't feel anything but happy." _

_Rachel smiled, a wave of relief washing over her face. She soon threw her arms around him in a large bear hug, not a care in the world about how she smelled of amusement park attractions and greasy food. _

"_You have no idea how happy I am to hear that." She said quietly as she buried her head in the neck of his t-shirt. _

"_Hey, where'd you go?" Finn laughed and pulled her face up to his own. "So you wanna be my girlfriend?" _

_Rachel nodded. "Yes. Do you want to be my boyfriend?"_

_Finn pretended to think about it, which made her laugh. "Yeah." He finally answered. "That sounds pretty sweet."_

_And then finally, finally, they got their perfect kiss. And Rachel was absolutely positive that it was so much better than sweet. _

"You were so amazing up there today Rach. You shined. You always do."

Rachel's eyes went a bit moist at the simplicity and sincerity of his words. "Thank you. You were pretty fantastic today yourself."

Finn's eyes went a bit wide with panic at the sight of her tears. "I'm sorry Rach, what did I say? Why are you crying?"

Rachel shook her head. "I'm just really happy."

A small frown came across the quarterback's face, clearly not understanding. "That doesn't make any sense."

Wiping the tears from her eyes Rachel let out a laugh before throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. "I'm so happy I have you in my life."

Finn smiled, his strong arms pulling her closer. "Good thing, because I'm not going anywhere."

**-GLEE-**

**Well? Did you love it? Hate it? Tell me!**


	4. Broken Surprises

"Santana, do you smell that?"

"Smell what? Brit, it's three in the morning!" Santana let out a small whine and rolled over, hoping that her friend would get the message and go back to sleep.

"That! Something stinks."

"No, maybe you're just- oh my god. It just hit me_. Ew!_ What is that?" She immediately sat up, her face scrunching up with displeasure at the smell.

"I don't know…hey, Quinn!" Brittany got up off the couch and moved toward her sleeping friend. "Quinn!"

"Leave her alone, Brit. She's tired."

"Oh my god. Gross. Look Santana!"

"What? Oh _ew._ She peed in the bed. That's disgusting."

"Well she _has_ been going a lot lately..."

"Quinn, wake up!" Santana nudged the girl's shoulder.

The blonde slowly began to rub her eyes before opening them a bit and looking up at her friends sleepily.

"What?"

"You peed in the bed." Brittany informed her. "And something smells gross." As if finally solving a puzzle, her face suddenly lit up. "Oh my god, that's what the smell is. But wait a second, why does your pee smell so bad? My pee doesn't smell like that. I mean, not that I've ever actually smelled it or anything, but it does have a really strong smell… Maybe you ate something bad. What did you have for dinner? It couldn't have been the cake because me and Santana ate and our pee doesn't smell that bad-"

"Brit enough!" Santana finally cut the rambling girl off. She'd go for days if someone let her.

Quinn looked down at her bottom half and gasped. "No! No, no, no! Not now!"

"Look, I know that it's embarrassing but-" Santana said tiredly.

"I didn't pee in the bed, my water just broke!"

"WHAT?! I am so not touching anything."

"We need hot towels! They always mention hot towels when people have babies on TV." Brittany spoke up. "Hey, why do they need hot towels anyway? And how would you get them hot? You can't, like, roast them over a fire like marshmallows or something, and I don't they fit in microwaves…"__

"Santana, you're not going to have to touch anything! Brittany, we don't need hot towels. Stop freaking out, we just… we have to stay calm, right?" Quinn looked between her two friends nervously.

"What are we supposed to do? We're not allowed to leave our rooms this late and everyone is asleep." Brittany reminded her.

Santana rolled her eyes. "I think this is an exception."

"Mr. Schuester said there _are_ no exceptions."

"Yeah, well Mr. Schuester didn't expect Quinn to have the baby on our trip, so we're gonna have to change the rules!" Santana snapped.

"Oh my god, this is disgusting. Can one of you guys help me up? I have to change into something else."

Brittany nodded and pulled Quinn up from her place in bed. As Quinn made her way to the bathroom Santana passed her a t-shirt, sweatpants, and clean underwear.

"We'll call Mr. Schuester." She told her.

"And Puck! Call Puck first. I need him."

"Okay, Brittany, you call Mr. Schue and I'll call Puck. Q, let us know if you need help changing."

"Thanks." Quinn shut the bathroom door and the girls immediately sprung into action.

"Puck?" Santana held the phone to her ear impatiently as she waited from him to pick up.

"Santana? Why the hell are you calling me at three AM? Somebody better be dead." He grumbled. __

"Quinn's water broke."

That woke him up. "What do you mean her water broke?! She isn't due for another few weeks!"

"Exactly what I said, nimrod! And she's kind of nervous about it, so if you could get over here soon it would really be appreciated!" Santana hung up the phone and rolled her eyes.

Boys were idiots.

"Hello?" Will sat up in bed groggily.

"Mr. Schuester?"

"Yes? Who is this? Is everything okay?"

"It's Brittany, from Glee club. You know, the blonde that's not Quinn?"

His heart began to race. A call this early was not a good sign.

"Yeah, what's going on?"

"Quinn got water on the bed." The blonde said cheerfully.

"What?"

Santana rolled her eyes and grabbed the phone. "Her water broke. Quinn's having the baby."

"WHAT!?"

Once again, Santana had to fight off the urge to snap at him. "Just get over here, okay?"

"I-I'll be right there."

Brittany pulled open the door just as Puck finished knocking.

"Come on in!" she said, as if welcoming him into a party.

He rolled his eyes. "Where is she?"

"Right here." Quinn replied, slowly making her way out of the bathroom.

"Are you okay?" In an instant, he was at her side.

"Where's Quinn?" Mr. Schuester asked frantically as he rushed in. Ms. Pillsbury followed him, and pretty soon Finn and Artie had arrived as well.

"I'm okay; not feeling the best, but I'm alright." Quinn answered them all. "But I'm kind of scared to death right now."

"I'm right here." Puck said grabbing her hand. "You're gonna be fine, I promise. I'll be right here the whole time."

"I'll call for an ambulance." Emma spoke up.

"No!" Quinn's eyes went wide. "No way, those things scare the hell out of me!"

"The only other option we have is the bus." Will reminded her.

"Can we go in that? Please Mr. Schue? Ambulances really scare me."

"Quinn, we can't just take the bus-"

"_Please_ Mr. Schue, please!"

Will sighed, seeing that she was now near tears. "Okay, fine!"

"We'll get our purses." Santana nodded.

"I'll get the others." Finn added.

"No! No way, nobody else is going!" Will said firmly. "This isn't an extra stop on the field trip!"

"Excuse me? She's our best friend!"

"We have to be there!"

"We're all a team Mr. Schuester." Artie said firmly. "We have to stick together."

"They should go, Will." Emma spoke up. "They all care about Quinn and Puck, and I'm sure they'd appreciate the support."

"Let them come, just hurry!" Quinn said, gritting her teeth in pain.

"Fine! Clearly I have no decision in this anyway, so go ahead." Will threw his hands up in defeat. "Um…" he paused, suddenly looking extremely nervous. "Oh god, I'm drawing a blank."

"Will, go get the bus driver from his room." Emma took control and began handing out orders. "Artie and Finn, wake-up the other kids and tell them to be downstairs ready to go in five minutes. Santana and Brittany, get Quinn's bag and make sure her things are packed and bring them to the lobby. Puck, help her get to the elevator. I'll start calling everyone's parents to tell them the change in plans."

Seeing the shocked looks everyone was giving her she clapped her hands loudly. "Let's go!" And with that, they all sprang into action.

"Open the door! Come on Rachel, open up!" Finn called as he pounded his fist against the door.

"Oh HELL to the NO." Mercedes opened the door and glared at him. "It is three-thirty in the morning and I do not care how many hormones you have runnin' through you. It is too damn early to be cuddling."

"Quinn's water broke." He informed her quickly. "We're all meeting in the lobby in five minutes to go to the hospital. Be ready."

The girl's eyes went wide. "What?! You have GOT to be kidding me!"

"Just get ready!"

"There better be a bullet going through someone." Kurt growled as he opened the door to his hotel room.

Artie held back a laugh as he took in the appearance of his friend. Kurt clearly had a reason for buying so much hair care product, because his normally coifed do was sticking out in every direction.

"Quinn's having the baby. We have to be downstairs in five minutes ready to go."

Kurt's eyes went wide. "It takes me at least forty-five minutes to do my hair."

"Wear a hat!" And with that Artie was gone, leaving Mike and Matt to deal with their frantic roommate. __

"You doin' okay momma?" Puck asked as he helped Quinn exit the elevator.

"Yeah, I'm alright." She answered, breathing deeply. "Promise me that you won't go anywhere."

"Hey, I'll fight my way into that hospital if I have to." His tone made it sound like a joke, but Quinn knew that he was one hundred percent serious.

"Good, because I'm kind of starting to freak out."

"Hey, listen to me." Puck set his forehead against hers so that they were locking eyes. "You can do this. It may be a little scary but you can do it. We'll do it together."

Quinn nodded bravely and sniffed a bit. "Okay." She finally whispered.

"Okay." Puck smiled. "Let's go have this baby."

"We're here!" The two teenagers were snapped out of their momentary bubble of confinement by the elevator doors opening and the rest of New Directions spilling out into the lobby, most of them still in their pajamas and looking extremely disheveled.

"We're here." Rachel repeated as she pushed to the front of the crowd. "Quinn, I know this must be scary for you but I want you to know that we're all going to be right in the waiting room cheering you on."

"That's sweet Rachel, really. But we need to go!" Will appeared next to her, looking very nervous and a bit sweaty.

"Okay everybody, on the bus!" Emma called, motioning towards the door. "Let Quinn and Puck on first! Kurt, stop crying. Your hair is fine. And can someone grab Will a paper bag to breathe into?"

"You alright Mr. Schue? You're looking kind of…green."

Will nodded and followed him up the stairs of the vehicle. "I'm fine, thanks Finn."

Emma was the last one to climb on to the bus and took a quick headcount before going over a few last minute details.

"Santana, you have Quinn's bag, right? Rachel, you have the contact list and are finishing up the parent calls. Matt, thank you for grabbing that bag for Will. Kurt, I said stop crying. Somebody please give him a hat and some tissues. Everyone set? Alright, driver, let's go!"

And then they were off.

**-GLEE-**

**As my beta pointed out, Quinn's fear of ambulances needs a bit of explanation. That will be revealed eventually, because the subject comes up again later in the story. So just in case you were wondering, no it's not just something random without a point. Guess you'll have to stay tuned to find out why! **


	5. Special Performances

The next thirty minutes had passed in somewhat of a whirlwind. The bus driver had been forced to drive nearly twenty miles over the speed limit (which was quite a feat seeing that he was driving such a large vehicle) and had somehow managed to avoid being pulled over by the police. It had only taken ten minutes to arrive at the nearest hospital and soon the entire group of fourteen had burst through the ER doors. The hospital staff seemed surprisingly calm to see what looked like a field trip arriving in the emergency room at nearly four in the morning, everyone in their pajamas with wild hair, some still appearing to be half asleep, and one of the teens in labor.

In a matter of minutes, Quinn and Puck had been taken to a hospital room while the rest of the group had been somewhat hesitantly directed to a waiting room on the fourth floor.

"So what are we supposed to do now?" Brittany asked as she glanced around. The room was fairly large with pale blue walls and a few windows on the far side. Four vending machines lined up next to the door and numerous white chairs and tables were scattered about. At the moment, the kids and chaperones of New Directions appeared to be the only inhabitants.

"Now we wait." Rachel answered. "I would suggest that everyone get comfortable, because these things usually take quite a while."

Finn frowned. "Like, how long are you talking about?"

"I've heard numerous people say that it can take over twenty-four hours. But usually it's less than that. Somewhere around eighteen or twenty is the average, I believe."

"Eighteen hours?" Mercedes frowned. "This is gonna be a long ass day."

"You could call your parents to come get you." Emma suggested. "Or we could send you all home on the bus."

"No way. We're staying." Santana said firmly. "Quinn needs us."

"We're her friends, we can't just bail." Finn added.

"We have to be here for support." Tina agreed.

Kurt, who had finally managed to calm his tears and was now wearing a glittery purple toboggan Mercedes had leant him, looked at the others. "This is just like that Secret Teens Life show on TV."

"Secret Life of the American Teenager." Mercedes corrected him. "But yeah, kind of. Except the girl on that didn't have a boyfriend when she got pregnant. I love that show."

"Me too!" Tina nodded excitedly. "This new season is supposed to be really good."

"Okay, new topic." Rachel said loudly, steering everyone away from what was sure to be a bad conversation. "Mr. Schuester, are you alright?"

Will looked up from his chair where he had been resting his head in his hands. "What? Yeah, I'm fine Rachel."

"Are you sure? I know this must be hard for you, considering everything that's happened."

"I'm fine." He said firmly. "I just.. everything back at the hotel was so sudden, I kind of lost control for a minute."

"That's very understandable." Emma said comfortingly, making him feel less like a wimp. She reached out to pat his shoulder comfortingly, only to draw it back when he glanced at her.

"Hey, you seemed pretty calm back there Ms. P," Artie spoke up.

Emma shrugged. "My sister has had three children, so I've done this a few times before."

"That's cool." Finn nodded. "Hey, I wonder what they'll name it."

"YOU BASTARD! I HATE YOU!" Quinn screamed. She gasped as the contraction raced through her body, causing more yelling to surface.

"Well it's not my fault that labor hurts!" Puck responded.

The nurses in the room glanced at each other sadly. _That was not the right thing to say_.

**-GLEE-**

A few hours later, Puck appeared in the waiting room, causing all of his friends to rush over.'

"Did she have the baby yet?"

"That was really fast."

"How is she?"

"Is something wrong?"

"Woah! Hold on!" Puck held up his hands and gestured for quiet. "Quinn is fine, no she hasn't had the kid yet. She just needed a minute alone so I came out to get some air. Jeez, you guys could suffocate someone."

"Sorry." The group slowly made their way back over to their seats until only Emma remained.

"Are you okay?"

Puck sighed. "I don't even know, to be honest."

Emma smiled sadly. "What happened, Puck?"

"She was having one of those contraction things and she was yelling at me. I told her it wasn't my fault-" Emma let out a small groan and Puck nodded. "And apparently that was the wrong thing to tell her."

"Puck, listen to me. Quinn is not in her right state of mind right now and she won't be for the next while. Having a baby messes with a girl's hormones a lot, so everything is off balance." Emma explained gently. "She's going to yell at you a lot before this is all over, but she doesn't mean it. She needs someone to take it out on and you're right there. So just… take it and do what she asks. Encourage her, and cheer her on, and be there for her. I promise you once you have that baby in your arms she won't even be able to so much as frown at you."

Puck nodded. "Thanks Ms. P."

"Good luck, and tell Quinn that we're all out here waiting for the newest Glee member."

"Go get 'em champ!" Matt yelled from across the room.

With one last glance at his team, Puck headed back to the hospital room.

"There you are!" Quinn let out a cry of relief at the sight of him, a few tears falling down her face. "Where did you go?"

"Just checking in with everyone else." He reported, still a bit unsure of how to act. "They're all out there waiting."

"Are they mad at me?" Quinn's pretty face frowned with worry. "I don't want them to be stuck here because of me and I woke them up-"

"Babe, they're fine." Puck moved over to the side of the bed and took one of her hands in his. "They're just excited to meet this kid. Trust me, they were given the option to leave and they nearly bit Ms. P's head off when she suggested it."

"Okay, good." Her breathing began to speed up a bit and she winced. "Oh no, here comes another one."

"I'm here Q, it's all good." He grasped her hands as the girl's face scrunched up in pain.

"Owww!"

"It's okay baby, you're doing great."

"Puck make it _stop!_" she cried.

Puck nodded, "It'll be over soon baby, I promise. You're doing so good."

**-GLEE-**

"I'm so bored."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Gee Santana, none of us had figured that out. You've only said it about ten times in the last fifteen minutes."

"Well excuse me for stating the obvious! It's not my fault this waiting room is lame. Besides, it's been hours and so far nothing has happened."

"Let's take a walk, find a change of scenery." Matt suggested, pulling Santana up and putting his arm around her. The rest of the group looked bored as well and clearly people were getting grumpy.

Tina's eyes lit up. "Let's go see the babies!"

Artie nodded. "Yeah, nobody can argue around a bunch of babies, right? Let's go see them."

A few of the other kids shrugged. When no one else offered a better suggestion the ten kids headed out the doors and down the hall, leaving Emma to read her book in peace with Will fast asleep in a chair nearby.

"Oh my gosh, they're so cute!" Kurt exclaimed as the group finally stopped in front of the window of the nursery.

"They're also very upset." Mercedes observed. It appeared that nearly every child in the room was in tears, and the three nurses inside looked to be at the end of their wits. Each purple-scrubbed woman held a baby in her arms, trying to calm several more around her at the same time.

Rachel frowned. "Come on."

"Wait, we can't go in there." Finn held out an arm to stop her. "We're not allowed in."

The brunette shook her head determinedly. "I have an idea. Now _come on_."

With reluctant glances at each other the rest of the Glee kids soon followed her inside.

Rachel stopped abruptly at the front of the room, looking out at all of the screaming children. The three nurses looked up and shrugged, clearly too occupied to bother asking if they were related to any of the babies.

"Follow my lead." Rachel said to her peers.

"_Welcome to the planet  
Welcome to existence  
Everyone's here  
Everyone's here  
Everybody's watching you now  
Everybody waits for you now  
What happens next  
What happens next…." _

The sweet sound of Rachel's voice was almost breathtaking, and soon the other kids jumped in and joined her.

_  
"I dare you to move  
I dare you to move  
I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor  
I dare you to move  
I dare you to move  
Like today never happened  
Today never happened before…." _

The nurses watched in awe as the kids continued to sing. Slowly but surely, the crying babies were beginning to calm.

_"Welcome to the fallout  
Welcome to resistance  
The tension is here  
Tension is here  
Between who you are and who you could be  
Between how it is and how it should be…_

Maybe redemption has stories to tell  
Maybe forgiveness is right where you fell  
Where can you run to escape from yourself?  
Where you gonna go?  
Where you gonna go?  
Salvation is here…

I dare you to move  
I dare you to move  
I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor  
I dare you to move  
I dare you to move  
Like today never happened  
Today never happened  
Today never happened  
Today never happened before…" 

As the song came to an end, the members of New Directions looked out to a room of silent newborn babies.

The nurses stared at them in awe.

"How did you… You all just… Who are you people?" one of them stuttered.

Rachel smiled. "We're McKinley High School's Glee Club, ma'am. Well, minus two members." She answered quietly. "We're here waiting for them. They're having a baby too."

"We also just won Regionals," Kurt couldn't help but add.

"Thank you." The older woman smiled gratefully. "Thank you all so much."

Finn grinned. "No problem."

"I am impressed." Will and Emma grinned proudly as the teenagers exited the now peaceful nursery to find their two teachers standing against the wall. "That was an amazing thing you guys did in there."

"It was all Rachel, Mr. Schue." Mike told him. "She came up with the idea. We just followed her lead."

"Well, you all deserve praise for it." Emma agreed. (Yes… they certainly do.)

Will nodded. "See guys, this is what Glee is really about. It's not about winning trophies or being the best. It's about making a difference."

"Excuse me, I'm assuming that you would be the kids from McKinley High School?" a nurse wearing yellow butterfly patterned scrubs approached the group.

Everyone's eyes immediately went to the small woman standing before them as Emma spoke.

"Yes, we're the McKinley group." She answered.

The young nurse nodded, her facial expression giving no hints about the news she was about to deliver. "I have some information about your friends."

**-GLEE- **

**Weee! Cliffhangers are fun! By the way, the song used above was Dare You To Move by Switchfoot; I make no claim to it. And don't forget to review, review, review!!!**


	6. Dare to Move

"_Excuse me, I'm assuming that you would be the kids from McKinley High School?" a nurse wearing yellow butterfly patterned scrubs approached the group._

_Everyone's eyes immediately went to the small woman standing before them as Emma spoke._

"_Yes, we're the McKinley group." She answered. _

_The young nurse nodded, her facial expression giving no hints about the news she was about to deliver. "I have some information about your friends."_

**-GLEE-**

"Is everything okay?" Emma's face immediately filled with concern as the rest of the kids went silent with worry. No news was good news, right? So why was this nurse here?

"Everything is just fine." The nurse smiled. "Your friend has just given birth to a healthy baby girl. Seven pounds, six ounces, and twenty inches long."

The group immediately filled with murmurs of joy and hugs were exchanged among the kids.

"Can we see them?" Rachel finally spoke up.

"Soon. Ms. Fabray needs some time to get back to her room and rest a bit and the baby needs to be bathed and checked over. But yes, you can see them in about an hour."

The Glee kids exchanged disappointed looks as the nurse headed back down the hall. More waiting.

"Anyone have any requests?" Kurt asked as the group turned around. With one final glance down the empty hallway they kids of New Directions turned and headed back into the nursery for an encore performance dedicated to their newest fans.

**-GLEE-**

"Look at her." Two new parents stared down at the pink blanket nestled in its mother's arms. The child's eyes were closed in a peaceful sleep and there was a thick cover of dark hair sprouting from its head.

"She has your nose." Puck observed.

Quinn smiled. "She has your bone structure."

"Your eyes,"

"Your ears and your chin."

"Perfect mix." He smiled down at her. "You did so good in there mama, you were a rockstar."

"I was kind of mean." She said remorsefully.

Puck shook his head. "Nah, I probably deserved it anyway. And you were kind of in a compromising position."

Quinn giggled. "Thanks Noah."

"Don't mention it." He shook his head. "So, we need to decide on a name. I don't think we can call her Baby Girl Puckerman forever."

"I wish it was that simple." She sighed. "Did you ever think of any names you liked?"

Puck shrugged. "I've never been good at stuff like this. If it were up to me I'd probably just call it Drizzle like Finn wanted."

"We are not naming her Drizzle!" Quinn said adamantly.

"Well, then tell me what you ended up with. We can pick from those."

"Okay… Samantha, Alison, Elyse, Katie, and…." She paused.

"What?"

Quinn blushed. "Well, I used to love that cartoon Madeline when I was a kid. You know, the one set in Paris with the girls at that boarding school or whatever? With the big building covered in ivy?"

He nodded. "Yeah, it's a vague memory. I think my little sister has it on DVD or something."

"I've always loved that name. It sounds different. You know, like, not Mad-uh-lynn but Mad-eh-line." She annunciated.

"Madeline Elyse Puckerman." Puck stated. "We can call her Maddi."

Quinn smiled. "That's perfect."

He leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to her lips. "You both are."

"Are we interrupting?" Santana stuck her head in the room.

Quinn laughed. "No, come on in."

Puck scooted a little closer to the hospital bed while the rest of the New Directions plus Will and Emma squeezed into the tiny white room.

"This is technically against hospital policy," Rachel informed them "So if anyone asks you have five sisters, five brothers, and an overjoyed aunt and uncle."

Quinn rolled her eyes and let out a dry laugh. "Got it."

Emma smiled at the small pink bundle. "She's beautiful, Quinn."

"Say hello to the newest member of Glee." The young mother smiled. "This is Madeline Elyse Puckerman."

Soft murmurs of approval were heard around the room as the others peered at the baby with interest and a few pictures were taken by various cell phones.

"How are you feeling?" Rachel spoke up after a minute.

"Very tired." She answered. "But happy. Very, very happy."

"It's amazing. She's so small and… she's here." Puck added. "It's unreal."

Finn smiled. "Dude, you're going soft."

"That kid already has you eating out of the palm of her hand." Matt stated.

"Shut up, you guys are just jealous."

The boys shrugged. "Maybe a little."

"We brought you something. Well, a couple somethings." Santana and Brittany stepped apart and produced several bags from behind them. Quinn and Puck saw a large Teddy Bear, two bouquets of flowers, a handful of pink balloons, and a coffee mug reading "It's a Girl!" among other things.

"You guys," Quinn let out a small giggle. "You didn't have to do that! It looks like you bought out the entire gift shop!"

"It's nothing." Kurt dismissed her worry with a wave of his hands. "We got bored singing to a bunch of sleeping infants anyway."

"What?" the young mother's eyes went wide at his statement.

"They sang to the babies in the nursery." Emma told her. "It was sweet! They all stopped crying and went right to sleep."

Puck laughed. "I wish I could have seen that."

"You can," Will pulled his cell phone from his pocket and passed it over. "I got it on video."

"No way!" Puck eagerly grabbed the phone and held it out at arm's length between himself and Quinn. Pretty soon the faint sound of _Dare You to Move_ began to fill the room and Puck began to laugh.

"That's really cool guys." Quinn said fondly once the song had ended.

Finn shrugged. "We got bored."

"That was f-freaking hilarious." Puck said, quickly catching himself before swearing. "Damn, this is gonna be hard."

"I remember when I was little we had a swear jar. Every time someone said a cuss word they had to put money in depending on how bad it was." Santana spoke up. "I lost so much money to that thing."

"What did your parents do with the money?" Rachel wondered.

Santana shrugged. "No clue. They might still have it for all I know. But we don't use it anymore."

"I remember when I stayed the night one time and your dad had to put a fifty dollar bill in there." Brittany added.

"Oh yeah, I remember that too!" Quinn's eyes lit up. "Your mom took us out for ice cream as a bribe so we wouldn't tell our parents."

"Why were our childhoods so messed up?" Santana questioned.

Puck shook his head. "I don't know, but that's not gonna happen with her. We're gonna make sure Finn's mom isn't the only decent parent in Lima."

Finn's hand on her shoulder silenced the comment Rachel was about to make about her two fathers, so instead she simply smiled and said, "That's great Puck."

A small yawn escaped from Quinn's mouth, causing her to frown. "Sorry guys, I'm just a little out of it."

"I think we could all use some rest." Mr. Schuester told her. "And we need to get back to the hotel and figure out what exactly the plan is for the rest of us anyway."

This statement was met with several protests among the group, but Will remained firm on his plan and soon he and Emma were herding the remaining ten kids out of the hospital room and towards the lobby.

"We'll give you guys a call later after Emma and I figure this out and everybody gets a quick nap." Will told the new parents as he briefly paused at the door.

Puck nodded. "Both our phones are here so just let us know."

Will gave a single nod and took a step, only to be called back in.

"Mr. Schue?"

The curly mop of hair soon popped back in the doorway.

"Yeah Quinn?"

The blonde looked at him seriously. "Thanks. For everything. And I'm sorry, I know we kind of ruined the trip-"

"No, don't be sorry." Will gave her a warm smile to match his soft words. "If you ask me this is a pretty great way to celebrate Regionals."

Quinn laughed. "Okay."

"Alright. I'll talk to you both soon." With a final nod Will hurried off to catch up with the others, leaving the two new parents alone with their creation.

Puck let out a sigh. "I still can't believe that we made this."

Quinn smiled. "Yeah, we did pretty good huh?"

"You have no idea."

She chuckled. "I think I might have a hunch."

"Doing this is gonna be harder than anything." He stated softly.

Quinn nodded. "Yep. But I think it will be worth it, don't you?"

Puck smiled and leaned down to kiss her. "Definitely."

**-GLEE-**

**Reviews are love. **


	7. Going Home

Will sighed. "What are we supposed to do Em? We can't keep the kids here for the next few days and we can't go back to Lima without Quinn and Puck. But the rest of us have to be back at school Monday."

Emma nodded as she sat neatly facing him from the edge of her hotel bed. "And Puck and Quinn don't have anyone else…"

"I've never been in a situation like this before. I'm stuck." Will dropped his head into his hands in frustration. "I couldn't even handle it when Quinn went in to labor."

"You've never had to deal with this before." She said gently. "Anybody would have freaked out. Look at all the other kids."

"But they're teenagers. They're not supposed to know how to handle it." He said disappointedly. "God, I feel like such an idiot."

"You are not an idiot Will." Emma scooted to the edge of the bed and took one of his hands. "You're just inexperienced with this kind of thing, and that's okay. You've done an amazing job with these kids, just look at how far they've come. They just won Regionals for Pete's sake and they're friends now. If you hadn't started the Glee club again none of this would have been possible."

Will gave a small smile. "Thanks Emma. But we still have to figure out what we're gonna do."

Emma nodded and they both went quiet for a minute as they sat in thought.

"What if we had Quinn transported to Lima General?" she said finally, naming the main hospital in their town. "They can do that right? The hospital could move her and Puck and the baby and the rest of us could go back on the bus. If we left in the next few hours we'd only be behind schedule by half a day or so."

Will's eyes went wide. "That's perfect Emma." He grinned and before either of them realized what was happening, he had pulled her close, arms wrapped around her tiny frame, and gently kissed her.

Emma's eyes went wide, both of them staring at the other for a moment before snapping out of the silence and simultaneously pulling away.

"Um," he glanced down at his shoes, suddenly neither of them able to look the other directly in the eye.

"We- um, I should go tell the kids." Emma said, her voice an octave higher and words coming more quickly than usual.

Will nodded. "Yeah, and uh, I'll call the hospital and talk to Puck and Quinn."

"Good idea." With a final nod to him Emma grabbed her purse and made a hasty retreat from the room before things could get any more awkward.

Will sighed and grabbed his cell phone, quickly selecting Puck's number from his contact list.

"Yeah?" Puck said once he'd picked up.

"Puck?"

The boy rolled his eyes, biting back the urge to ask who the hell else it would be and instead simply said, "Hey Mr. Schue, what's up?"

"How are you and Quinn and the baby?"

Puck smiled. "They're both great. Quinn's asleep and they took Maddi back to the nursery for a little while. I was just grabbing some food from the cafeteria."

"That's good Puck." Will responded. "You sound really happy."

"I am." He answered honestly. "It's weird, you know? It's like, the thought of taking care of a kid used to scare the hell out of me, and it still does kinda, but once I saw her and held her in my arms it just…changed."

Will smiled. "That's great."

"Yeah, thanks." Puck handed the cashier a few dollars and took the tray of food while still holding the phone to his ear. "So, did you and Ms. P figure out what the plan is for everyone yet?"

"Oh, yeah, that's actually why I called." Will said, getting back on track. "We decided that we would talk to the hospital about having you guys transferred to the hospital in Lima and the rest of us would take the bus back. Do you think Quinn would be alright with that?"

"Sure, that sounds fine. But how are we supposed to get to the other hospital? Quinn's terrified of ambulances and I don't think they'd be keen on letting us borrow a chopper if it isn't an emergency." Puck pointed out as he sat down at an empty cafeteria table.

Crap, he hadn't thought about that. "Well, maybe you could talk her in to riding in an ambulance?" Will said finally. "It wouldn't be as big of a deal since she's not in labor anymore. They wouldn't have to use the lights or sirens or even drive over the speed limit."

Puck nodded, despite the fact that Will couldn't see him. "Alright, you clear it with the hospital and I'll try and convince Quinn."

"Great, the rest of us will come by the hospital in about three hours ready to go, is that enough time for you guys?"

"That's fine." He took a bite of the burger in his hands and made a face. "I gotta go, I need to make a McDonalds run before I talk to Quinn. We'll see you later Mr. Schue."

"Bye Puck."

The new father hung up his phone and spit out his bite of food into a napkin before turning back to the cafeteria staff. "Hey, what the hell is in this crap?"

**-GLEE-**

"Okay guys, Mr. Schuester and I have decided that we're going to get Quinn and Puck transferred to Lima General Hospital in just a few hours and we're going to follow them back on the bus." Emma announced to the ten remaining Glee kids that had gathered around her in the hotel lobby. "So you all need to be down here, packed and ready to go in just a few hours."

"What about our parents? Have they been notified?"

"I was just getting to that Rachel." Emma nodded. "I also need each of you to call your parents so you have a way to get home. Tell them we should be back in the school parking lot around five thirty. Also, as I'm sure you've been wondering, the answer is yes, you will have to be at school tomorrow morning." A few of the kids groaned, but Emma ignored them. "I know this isn't exactly the way we planned for the weekend to go, but things happen sometimes and that's just how life is."

"At least we're going back as champions." Finn spoke up.

Rachel smiled. "You're right. Way to keep our spirits up Finn."

He smiled down at her. "Thanks baby."

"Oh god, please tell me we're done here so we can get the hell away from these two." Santana spoke up as Finn and Rachel shared a brief kiss. Since Puck was no longer around to call the couple out on their constant need for PDA Santana had taken it upon herself to temporarily hold the job.

Emma nodded. "Yes, that's all. You guys can go."

"Thank Gucci." Kurt rolled his eyes and stood up, motioning to the rest of the girls. "Come on ladies, I'll show you how to pack without causing wrinkles in your knockoffs."

The other kids got up and followed him, either planning to attend his lesson or heading to their rooms to finish getting their things together to leave.

"Now aren't you happy I insisted that we pack our things last night instead?" Rachel asked as she and her boyfriend remained curled up on the comfy brown couch. "While everyone else is scrambling around to get their belongings together, we can sit here and relax."

"Mhmm," Finn leaned down and pressed a firm kiss to her lips. "Or we could find somewhere to go and make-out."

"Finn! Keep your voice down! That's not how Regional champions should act in public." She said hastily pulling away, her eyes darting around the room to see if anyone had noticed.

Finn rolled his eyes. "Baby, no one else is around. But that's why I suggested going somewhere else."

"But there are people in both of our rooms." She pointed out.

He shrugged. "I'm sure there's a closet around here somewhere. And don't give me that look, it's not like we haven't done it before."

Rachel couldn't help but blush as she thought back to the many study halls spent in the second floor utility closet and empty practice rooms. Also the locker room, the auditorium, their cars, and even once in an empty girl's bathroom after they hadn't been able to see each other much that week….

"Fine."

Finn grinned, his eyes full of lust and longing. Without a second thought he had grabbed Rachel by the waist and tossed her over his shoulder.

"Finn Hudson, you put me down right now!" she demanded, pounding a tiny fist against his back. "So help me, I will scream if you don't release me!"

Finn smirked. "Now Rach, that's no way for a Regional champion to act in public." He mocked, still refusing to put her down. Now all he had to do was think: If he were a closet, where would he be….?

**-GLEE-**

"There you are." Quinn smiled softly as the door to her hospital room was pushed open and Puck walked in.

"Yeah, sorry. You were asleep and I was getting hungry."

"I was just about to call down to the cafeteria and order some lunch. Do you think they have burgers here?"

Puck shook his head hastily. "Trust me, you don't want that shit."

"Language!"

Realizing his mistake, despite the fact that their daughter was not present, Puck corrected himself.

"It's gross. Now, we can't let the nurses see this but I took care of it." He reached into the large brown paper bag he was carrying and pulled out a McDonalds bag. Quinn's eyes went wide.

"Me too?" she asked, her voice filled with hope like a child's on Christmas morning.

Puck laughed. "Of course you too. I wasn't sure what you'd want so I got a little of everything. Burger or chicken nuggets?"

"Yes."

Again, he laughed and dug into the bag, passing her a small box of chicken nuggets, fries, and a hamburger. He grabbed a bigger burger for himself, set two large cokes on the table sitting across her bed, and the two new parents began to really chow down for the first time in what seemed like eternity.

"So Mr. Shue called me a little while ago." He said after a few minutes of silence.

Quinn looked up with interest. "What did he say?"

"He said that we gotta get back to Lima. Everyone else has to be at school tomorrow but they can't leave us here, so he wants to get us transferred to Lima General."

The young mother's face slowly began to fall. "And we can't take the bus. So that means that we'd have to go by…"

"Yeah."

Glancing down at her hands, Quinn was quiet for a moment.

"Why are you so freaked out by them anyway?" he finally asked.

Quinn sighed and shook her head. "When I was eight I was visiting my Nana." She said quietly. "Everything was going fine, we were laughing and playing cards….and then she started screaming and clutching her chest. My parents told me later she had a heart attack." She swallowed. "So my dad called 911 and my sister took me back in another room while my parents stayed with Nana in the den. It seemed like we waited forever in that tiny room but eventually the EMS came and took her away….and I never saw her again."

Puck let out a breath, shocked that he had never known about this before now. "I'm so sorry Q." he wrapped his arms around her tightly and kissed the top of her head. "I'm sorry."

"I know it doesn't make sense, but I was so young I guess I couldn't help but associate the ambulance with her death. That's the last image I ever had of her, being pushed into the back on a stretcher." She closed her eyes. "But we have to get back home, and I can't hold everyone else up."

Puck nodded silently as she tried to process everything, finally opening her eyes again and looking up at him with a determined expression on her face.

"No sirens, no lights, no speeding, and no doing any sort of medical procedure on me while on the road." She listed firmly.

Puck glanced at her. "I think that can be arranged. You'll probably have to keep the IV in though, and the heart monitor thing. But nothing new."

"You'll be right there with me?" she checked.

"I'll hold your hand all four hours." He promised.

Quinn nodded. "Okay, I guess I'm in."

**-GLEE-**

**This chapter was a lot of filler, and I'm sorry for that. But don't lose hope- there's more to come!**


	8. Realizations

**A/N: Wooo! Summer is almost here! One last final tomorrow and then I am FREE! And a SENIOR! Class of 2011 baby! Haha. Here's another chapter. Sorry it's taking so long. I actually have quite a bit of stuff written (like a few oneshots and up to chapter 12 for this story) but I have a few spots I'm trying to clean up and polish in all of them. Darn perfectionism! Anyway, hope you enjoy this and have a great end of the school year. **

**-GLEE-**

The ride back to Lima was uneventful. Quinn managed to ride in the ambulance without having a panic attack and the rest of New Directions seemed to be following in baby Maddi's tiny footsteps by sleeping the entire journey home. It was nearly five thirty when the bus pulled in to McKinley High's parking lot to find several cars and anxious parents waiting to greet their children.

The small cluster of adults began to clap as the kids stepped off the bus with Will holding up the Regionals trophy in victory, Emma right behind him with a picture of Puck, Quinn, and the baby to show. They had decided right before leaving that they would bring along a photo to show off, allowing the absent members of New Directions still be a part of the homecoming celebration without the stress of overcrowding another hospital.

"There she is! Our favorite shining star!" Leroy Berry cried as his daughter made her way towards he and his partner.

"We knew you could do it." Harriet agreed proudly. "It's not a surprise, but still an accomplishment."

Rachel beamed as she was pulled into a three-way embrace. "Thank you both."

"So, I hear you did pretty well this weekend." Finn's mom grinned as he made his way over to her.

Finn shrugged, a smile of his own appearing. "We did okay."

"Come here," she pulled him into a large hug, her arms wrapping around his body tightly, before pulling back and kissing his cheek. "My boy. I'm so proud of you Finn."

He glanced down at the pavement, his cheeks going red. "It wasn't that big of a deal."

"I didn't just mean about the singing. After everything that's happened this year you've become so mature and responsible. You've done great sweetie and I just wanted you to know that."

Luckily Finn was saved from any further embarrassment or emotional conversation when Rachel walked up.

"Hi Mrs. Hudson."

"Rachel," Finn's mother grinned and pulled his girlfriend into a warm hug. "Congratulations sweetheart."

"Thank you." Rachel smiled. "I just wanted to come over and say goodnight to you and Finn."

Carol Hudson smiled. "Well that was very sweet of you honey. Next time I promise I'll be there."

"My fathers would love it immensely if you came along with them. We have a lovely car that's very comfortable for travel."

Finn's mother grinned down at her. "That sounds perfect Rachel. Tell them to feel free to call me anytime to work out the details."

"Alright," Rachel said beaming. "Well, I should be going. Goodnight Mrs. Hudson."

"You too sweetie."

"Bye Finn."

As she turned to walk off Finn reached out and grabbed her arm. Without a single word he leaned down to press a quick, tender kiss to her lips before she could question him.

"See ya."

Rachel nodded slowly, her face still a bit dazed from the kiss as she headed back to her fathers'.

After a few more minutes of chatting with the other parents Finn stuck his duffle bag in the trunk of his mother's car and climbed in for the short ride home.

Finn was quiet for a few minutes before he glanced over at his mother.

"Mom, how do you know when you're in love?" The hesitation in his voice was evident and his eyes became focused on his shoes.

His bluntness really shouldn't have been such a surprise to her; Finn had always been very straightforward when he wanted to know something. Still, Carol Hudson couldn't help but be a little shocked when his question was asked. But she stuck to the path she had always taken with her son and answered him in just as direct manner.

"Well, first of all I think it's something you can't rush." She answered slowly. "Because when you really love someone, you don't have to think very much about it. If you feel like it's forced even a little bit then it probably isn't real love. But when I think about the meaning of love I see it as not being able to go a minute without thinking about a person. And wanting the best for them, even if it's not necessarily what makes you happy. And just…looking into the future and seeing yourself with them, despite the place or anything else, just content with the fact that they're by your side. And wanting nothing more than just to be with them."

Finn sighed. "I just…I can't get her out of my head." He confessed quietly. "And when I'm with her I can't breathe and when I'm not around her I want to be. And sometimes I'll just completely zone out thinking about her at the weirdest times. Like the other day at basketball practice I was so out of it that I missed Puck throwing the ball to me and it knocked me in the head. That's never happened before, not even when I was dating Quinn." A frustrated sigh escaped his lips, clearly upset with himself over his confusion.

"Did you love Quinn?"

He paused a moment, thinking his answer over carefully. "I think a part of me did, a little. But nothing close to how I feel about Rachel."

"Were you in love with Quinn?"

"Is there a difference?"

His mother smiled. "Of course there is Finn. You love me, right? But you're not _in_ love with me. You love your Nana, but you're not _in_ love with her."

Finn nodded as the difference began to dawn on him. His mom was great, and his Nana made the best mashed potatoes and really itchy sweaters, but he didn't want to build a life and a start a future with them. (Although he hoped that they both stayed in his life for, well, ever. Because they really were pretty cool) He wanted that with Rachel.

"No." he finally said, the surprise in his voice evident. "I was never in love with Quinn. I loved her, yeah, part of me always will." But the person he couldn't picture his life without was a girl who seemed a little nutty, was never afraid to speak her mind or be herself, and had a strange love for show tunes. She was passionate and headstrong and beautiful and brave….. He was in love with Rachel Berry.

Holy shit.

_He was_ _in love with Rachel Berry_.

**-GLEE-**

"How are we doing in here?" A friendly looking brunette who looked to be in her twenties poked her head into the hospital room where Quinn, Puck, and the new baby were situated. The woman wore a long white coat with her name stitched across the top left and a small teddy bear was clipped to the stethoscope hanging around her neck.

"Hi Dr. Ross." Quinn smiled at the doctor as she made her way over to the bed.

"Are you guys situated alright?"

Puck nodded. "All good."

The doctor smiled. "Good. Quinn, I wanted to give you a quick exam in a few minutes and have Madeline receive a check up tomorrow morning. From what your files say you're doing very well and if all goes as planned you'll be able to go home tomorrow or the next day."

Quinn's face lit up. "Really? I'm so ready to not be in a hospital anymore!"

"I'm sure." She laughed. "Okay, well, I'll see you in just a few minutes then."

As Dr. Ross closed the door behind her Puck turned to Quinn nervously.

"So, I kind of have a surprise for you."

Quinn looked at him suspiciously. "Okay… what is it?"

"Well, I know it's kind of weird living at my house and stuff, but since we don't really have enough money to get our own place-"

"Puck, it's okay. Believe me, I understand." she interrupted.

He frowned. "Yeah, but still. We're gonna be a real family now, and it would be kind of weird for us to all be stuck in my room. So my mom and I have been fixing up that apartment over the garage and she said we can pay half of what renting an apartment would cost." Puck shrugged. "Surprise babe."

"You got us our own place to live?" Quinn's eyes immediately filled with tears.

"I know it's not perfect," he added hastily. "But as soon as I can get enough money together for something else we can move-"

Suddenly her arms were around him, her lips pressed firmly against his. She was grinning when she finally pulled back. "Noah Puckerman you are amazing. I love you so much."

Obviously relieved, Puck let out a breath. "I love you too mama. Don't worry; I got big plans for us."

Quinn smiled. "I can't wait."

**-****GLEE-**

**A/N: Love it? Hate it? Tell me! Reviews are fun! Weeee! **


	9. Advice and Arrivals

**A/N: OH MY LORD. THE FINALE IS TONIGHT! Who else is going INSANE? The previews have me on the edge of my seat and I could not be more excited! As a celebration, here is chapter nine! I really hope you like it. Happy GLEE day!**

**-GLEE-**

The following day was Monday, bringing another day of school for most of New Directions. It was during Finn's second period free hour when he was sitting out on the football field bleachers that he felt his cell phone vibrate in his pocket, signaling he had a text message.

**TO: FINN, MATT, MIKE, SANTANA, BRITTANY**

**FROM: PUCK**

**MESSAGE: Q gets out of hospital l8r. thot u'd wanna know.**

Finn sighed, struggling within himself to decide if he should call Puck. Part of him was still pissed about being lied to, and part of him was unsure if he was ready to move past the awkward stage they were in. They weren't exactly cold to each other, but they certainly weren't as close as they used to be. Cordial was probably the best way to explain it. That was one of the many words he had picked up while dating Rachel.__Over time he had started to carry the pocket dictionary she got him and he found himself looking up more and more words so he could keep up with her. Plus, it was kind of cool when he surprised her by using a new word, the look of shock on her face never failed to amuse him.

Shaking his head once, Finn gave himself no more time to think and selected Puck's name from his contact list.

"Finn?" Puck picked up on the second ring. "I thought you guys were at school."

"Yeah, I'm in free period." He explained awkwardly. "Uh, listen, do you have a second?"

"Yeah, I'm just driving over to the house to make sure everything's ready for when Q comes home later while she sleeps." Puck answered. "What's up?"

"I was just, kinda… wondering how you told Quinn you loved her." Finn said quickly.

The new father shrugged. "Well the baby thing made it a lot easier…" he said slowly. "Dude, what the hell is going on?"

"I'm in love with Rachel." He blurted. "And it just hit me last night and I know I said it to Quinn before but it's just… it's just different with Rachel, okay? Because my mom explained it to me last night and now I get the difference between loving someone and being in love and I loved Quinn, but I'm in love with Rachel and-"

"Woah, woah, dude, calm down." Puck turned into the driveway at the last second and slammed on the brakes. "Slow down and breath or something." He heard Finn exhale loudly on the other end of the line and went on. "So you love Berry-"

"I'm _in love_ with her." Finn interrupted. "There's a difference."

Puck rolled his eyes. "Okay, you're _in_ love with Berry. Where's the problem?"

"How the hell am I supposed to tell her?" he exclaimed. "I don't know anything about this stuff!"

"And I do? When the hell did I become Doctor Love?"

"I don't know." Finn sighed and glanced around the football field. "I guess since you have a kid…"

"What? That I'd know more about this?" Puck shook his head, despite the fact that no one could see him. "Dude, I'm just as out of it as you are. Except now I have a kid to worry about too. But I still have no idea what the hell I'm doing. Just…I don't know, think of something that you know she'll love. Berry is crazy about you, she'll be happy with whatever."

Finn nodded. "Alright. Thanks, I guess."

"Yeah, um, no problem man. I guess I'll see you whenever." Puck said slowly.

"Yeah, sure. Rachel and I will stop by to see the baby soon. And, y'know, you and Quinn too."

"Okay, well I'll uh, I'll see you then."

"Yeah, later."

"Peace." Puck closed his cell phone and shook his head.

That wasn't weird at all.

**-GLEE-**

Around four o'clock that afternoon Quinn Fabray was ecstatic. She was no longer in a puke green gown with no material to cover the back and, for the first time in what felt like a million years, she wasn't surrounded by hospital walls or medical equipment. Instead, she was sitting in the comfortable interior of Puck's truck with the newest member of her family safely secured in the backseat. Finally, she was free and she could start living the new part of her life as a mother.

"Hey," She was snapped out of her daze when Puck's hand reached over from the driver's seat to grasp her own. "Where's your head at?"

Quinn sighed peacefully. "Just thinking about the future."

He nodded. "You too, huh?"

"Yeah." She smiled softly and glanced at him. "I know it won't be easy, but I really think we can do it."

"I know so." He pulled into the driveway of his house and hopped out of the truck, making his way around to help Quinn out and then grab the car seat from the back. "Go ahead, it's unlocked."

Glancing over her shoulder at him, she nodded once and slowly began her journey up the set of stairs on the side of the garage. She was still healing from the stitches and pain from having the baby, so Quinn's movements were still sluggish, but the doctor had said that it was to be expected. After a few weeks, the pain would be gone completely and until then she had been given some medication to ease the pain.

Finally reaching the top of the stairs, Quinn twisted the knob on the door and pushed it open, looking around the small apartment in awe.

It was perfect.

Nothing extravagant by any means, beige carpet on the floors and pale yellow walls with basic appliances sitting around the living room in various places. Off to the left was a small kitchen with a stove, dishwasher, fridge, and a table set for four. Behind the kitchen was the bedroom, then bathroom, and then another tiny room that had been painted pink and filled to the brim with Maddi's stuff. It was extremely small, somewhat cheap-looking, and had everything she could have ever asked for. And because she knew it was all theirs, the biggest mansion in Lima couldn't have held a candle to it.

"You like it?" Puck stepped into the apartment a few minutes later and sat the car seat holding a sleeping Madeline on the floor, watching her look around their new living quarters with apprehension.

Quinn turned to look at him, her face still unreadable. Slowly striding cross the room to his arms she tucked her small frame against him and touched her lips to his.

"I love you." She said quietly, but keeping a certain firmness in her tone. "And I can't wait to start this part of our lives together."

"I know it's not, uh, exaggerated or anything," he mumbled somewhat nervously.

"I think you mean extravagant." Quinn corrected him with a smile.

"Yeah, that." Puck nodded. "But I swear once we can save up enough-"

"It's perfect." She cut him off. "Thank you."

Puck glanced down at the floor embarrassedly. "It's nothing." He mumbled.

Quinn smiled and moved to grab her bag by the door when she felt his grip around her waist tighten.

And then, just barely, she heard him whisper,

"Love you too."

Maybe this wouldn't be so hard after all.

**-GLEE-**

**A/N: Don't forget to review (:**


	10. The Next Assignment

"Alright guys, listen up. I have some really important announcements to make." Mr. Schuester glanced at the remaining members of New Directions that Friday afternoon in the choir room. "Now I know Puck and Quinn are out of commission for awhile, and to be honest I'm not sure if they're going to be able to compete at all for Nationals. With everything that they have going on right now the last thing they should have to worry about is us, so for the next while we're going to have to move on without them."

"What are we supposed to do?" Kurt spoke up. "We have to have at least twelve people to be eligible to compete. We're screwed."

Rachel let out a moan. "We're not asking Jacob to stand in again are we?"

"Relax guys." Will held up his hands for quiet. "I got a hold of the committee for Nationals and explained our situation to them. And while they didn't think it was a smart move on our part, they agreed to let us go ahead and compete in a few months with only ten members. But they strongly advise against it because they think it will make our chances of losing a lot greater. So I've decided we're going to put it to a vote. We can either try to do this with only ten people, or we can hold auditions for Puck and Quinn's replacements. It's up to you."

Rachel stood up from her chair primly and faced her peers. "I vote against new members. It would take far too much time trying to scout out two people with the same individual vocal abilities as Puck and Quinn have, and it would be a loss of valuable rehearsal time."

Finn nodded. "I agree with Rachel. It's pointless to look for new people who don't know anything about this. We should just work around it and keep going."

"Alright, anyone else have an opinion?" Will glanced out at the rest of the kids. "Okay. All those in favor of moving on with ten members, raise your hand." When ten hands flew to the air he nodded. "Let's get to work."

"Hey Mr. Schue, did you ever find out where Nationals are being held?" Artie asked as everyone began getting up from their seats and clearing away chairs for more practice space.

Will's face lit up at the comment. "Actually, I did ask when I was on the phone earlier." He grinned at the kids. "Pack your bags guys, because we're going to Disney World!"

"Seriously?" Brittany asked eagerly, her blue eyes going wide with excitement.

Mercedes dark eyes narrowed, her head tilting back and eyebrows rising up in disbelief. "Don't mess with us Schuester."

Will shook his head happily. "I'm not kidding. Nationals are being held in Orlando this year and Disney is hosting the event. In two and half months we're all flying down and staying in one of the park's resorts. And we get free passes to the park."

The room went completely silent for about ten seconds as each of the kids processed this new information. And then, Kurt let out a girlish scream and within seconds the entire group was shouting with joy.

"I'M GONNA SEE MICKEY!" Brittany shouted excitedly.

"Screw Mickey, we're gonna meet Belle!" Santana yelled.

"She's my favorite!"

The entire group silently turned to look at Mike, whose face immediately went red from his outburst.

"Uh, because she's the hottest...?" He mumbled weakly.

"And the castle!" Tina was quick to add. "We get to see the castle!"

"I've wanted to go to Disney World since I was two." Kurt said happily. "But we never had the money."

"My mom works at the airport." Artie spoke up. "I'm sure she could help us get cheap flights."

"That would be great Artie. But guys, you have to listen to me," Will's face turned serious as he stressed the importance of what he was about to say. "Nationals are going to be a lot different than you think. At Regionals we competed against the best glee clubs in the state. But at Nationals we're facing the best in the country. That means about forty other clubs will be there, and they're all going to be the best where they're coming from; Which means that we have to give everything we have to prepare for this and then some, because we're short two members." He glanced out at the kids. "So for the next two months we're practicing four times a week: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from three to five, and Saturday from one to five. I know it's a lot but we have to be perfect if we want a real shot at winning this. Who's with me?"

Rachel's hand was the first in the air. "I'm willing to do any and everything it takes to bring home that trophy Mr. Schuester." She said dutifully coming to stand beside him.

Finn nodded. "Me too."

"And us." Artie rolled over to join them, with Tina, Kurt, and Mercedes right behind him.

Santana rolled her eyes. "I'm not about to start a group hug or anything, but yeah. Okay."

"Ohh, me too!" Brittany smiled. "I wanna play too."

Mike and Matt nodded. "Let's do this."

"Alright." Will smiled. "Let's get started. I want to start every practice with ten minutes of the vocal warm ups Rachel taught us all, and then five minutes to stretch for the choreography. Your first assignment is duets, this time with a partner of the opposite sex that I've selected. You'll perform together this Saturday at practice."

"But that's like four days away!" Mercedes exclaimed.

Will nodded. "I know. Aside from learning to work with another person this also teaches you time management and how to work under a deadline."

"What's the prize?" Artie wanted to know.

"A surprise that will be awarded after Ms. Pillsbury and I have seen all of the performances." He answered. "Now, the pairs are pretty standard but here's the list: Artie and Tina, Kurt and Mercedes, Finn and Rachel, Matt and Santana, and Mike and Brittany. You have the rest of practice today and Friday and whatever time you want to use of your own before Saturday. Good luck."

The remaining ten members wasted no time in pairing off with their respective partners and grabbing iPods to sort through songs while Will sat down by himself and continued to come up with more ideas for group numbers.

"Okay, we need to find a kick ass song." Santana said firmly as she and Matt sat down on the floor in the corner of the room. "Because I don't care what that prize is, I want to win it."

Matt smiled at her. Typical Santana, not that he wanted or expected anything less.

Noticing his stare, the cheerleader blushed under his gaze. "What?"

He shook his head and he laughed. "Nothing. You're just really cute when you're competitive."

Santana blushed again. "Whatever." But both of their smiles grew as she scooted over closer to him. "We may need to work on this after practice." she said after a minute.

Matt nodded. He was more than okay with that.

"I want to do something fun." Brittany announced as she twirled around in circles.

Mike watched her dance from his chair. "Like what?"

"I don't know. But it has to be good. I'll bet the secret prize is a duck or something, so I kinda want to win." She began humming softly to herself, still twirling absentmindedly.

They both went silent for a minute; Brittany's humming the only noise between them, before it hit him.

"Brit,"

The blonde paused and looked at him. "Huh?"

"I think you just gave us our song."

"So, what do you think we should do?" Finn and Rachel were sitting near the back of the room facing each other, their legs intertwined between them as well as holding hands. Their other empty hands were clutching their respective iPods as they sorted through the hundreds of songs between them.

"Well, there are plenty of Broadway duets out there," Rachel told him.

"You know, my mom had this song on in the car the other day," Finn said after thinking for a minute. "It was pretty cool."

Rachel looked up at him expectantly. "Do you know what it was called?"

He frowned. "No. But I can try and hum it. Maybe you'll know it?"

"Okay, give it a shot." As soon as Finn began to hum out a piece of the melody Rachel's eyes lit up.

"I know that song. Granted, it's not Broadway, but it very well might work."

"So…." Artie glanced over at his partner. "Mercedes and Kurt should be interesting to see."

Tina smiled, looking towards their two friends in question. Kurt and Mercedes were over in the corner heatedly arguing between Beyonce classics versus numbers from Mary Poppins.

"If nothing else it will be interesting." She agreed. "So, do you have any ideas for our song?"

"A lot of the music I listen to is rap and jazz," he admitted. "And I can't really see us doing anything like that."

"Yeah, I'm not much of a rapper." Tina smiled. "Maybe we can find something on my iPod." Grabbing the purple music player from her bag she passed it over to him.

Artie clicked on Most Played and started going down the list, stopping at one near the middle.

"Hey, I know this song."

Glancing at the small screen he held up Tina nodded happily. "I like that one."

**glee**

**A/N: Who loves Disney World? MEEEE! Review! If you do, Mickey will love you!**


	11. You Wanna Be On Top?

"_Maybe it's true  
That I can't live without you  
Maybe two is better than one  
But there's so much time  
To figure out the rest of my life  
And you've already got me coming undone  
And I'm thinking  
I can't live without you  
'Cause, baby, two is better than one  
But there's so much time  
To figure out the rest of my life  
But I'll figure it out  
When all is said and done  
Two is better than one  
Two is better than one…"_

As the two voices slowly faded out the rest of the room quickly erupted into applause, causing the pair to blush.

"Wow, that was great you guys. Really, amazing job." Will said happily as he took his spot near the front of the room by the piano. Tina and Artie each mumbled a quiet 'thanks' from their seats, both wanting to be out of the spotlight as quickly as possible.

"Okay, moving right along to our last performance we have Finn and Rachel." Will clapped his hands again and moved back to his seat among Emma and the students.

The pairs had drawn numbers randomly out of a hat and for the past hour the kids had been singing their hearts out. Kurt and Mercedes had gone first with a crazy performance of 'Take Me for What I Am' from RENT, dancing around the room like fools and making the entire room bust into fits of laughter with their bright and tacky costumes. Matt and Santana had gone next, singing 'I've Had The Time of My Life' from Dirty Dancing and even managed to learn the complicated lift made famous by Johnny and Baby in the original movie. Going along with the music Brittany had hummed just days prior, Mike and his partner had sang 'A Whole New World' from the Disney movie Aladdin and Tina and Artie had just finished 'Two Is Better Than One' by Boys Like Girls and Taylor Swift. Now, as Finn and Rachel took their places at the head of the room the group went silent as Brad began to play their song. Finn took the first verse.

"_I can take the rain on the roof of this empty house  
That don't bother me  
I can take a few tears now and then and just let them out  
I'm not afraid to cry every once in a while  
Even though going on with you gone still upsets me  
There are days every now and again I pretend I'm ok  
But that's not what gets me…"_

Turning to face each other the pair continued to sing to each other in harmony.

"_What hurts the most  
Was being so close  
And having so much to say  
And watching you walk away  
And never knowing  
What could have been  
And not seeing that loving you  
Is what I was tryin' to do…"  
_

"_It's hard to deal with the pain of losing you everywhere I go  
But I'm doin' it,"_ Rachel sang, the regular passion in her voice amplified to a new level.  
_"It's hard to force that smile when I see our old friends and I'm alone  
Still Harder-"  
_

"_Getting up, getting dressed, livin' with this regret  
But I know if I could do it over  
I would trade give away all the words that I saved in my heart  
That I left unspoken,"_ Finn joined in as they joined hands and began to circle around, putting all the power and energy into the song. His eyes remained focused solely on the petit girl in front of him, the rest of the world barely registering in his mind.

_"What hurts the most  
Is being so close  
And having so much to say  
And watching you walk away  
And never knowing  
What could have been  
And not seeing that loving you  
Is what I was trying to do_

Not seeing that loving you  
That's what I was trying to do  
Ooohhh..."

They continued to stare at each other for a moment, breathing heavily now, as the rest of the room applauded them before snapping out of their bubble and moving back to their seats. The rest of the room paid no attention as they shared a quick kiss and, instead of her own chair, Rachel was pulled instead to sit on Finn's lap.

"Wow. That was impressive." Will said as he once again stood at the front of the room. "Ms. Pillsbury and I are going to go deliberate in the hallway and then we'll announce the winners and what they won." With a small nod to the group he ushered Emma out of the choir room and down the hallway.

"Is anybody else feeling the ANTM elimination vibe in here or is it just me?" Kurt spoke up after a moment of silence.

Santana laughed. "Oh my god, I was thinking the exact same thing."

"I love that show!" Rachel smiled. "Tyra is so versatile with her image and talents. She's an icon!"

Mercedes grinned. "She's fabulous!"

"What does ANTM spell?" Brittany whispered glancing over to her best friend with curiosity.

Santana let out a small sigh. "They mean Top Model, Brit. We watch it every Wednesday remember?"

The blonde's face lit up with realization. "I can catwalk!"

"Ohh! Let's play!" Kurt grabbed a stack of lyric sheets next to him and stood at the front of the room, his face turning somber as the four girls giddily stood in a line before him.

"Four beautiful ladies stand before me, but I only have three photos in my hands." Kurt said seriously. "And these photos represent the three girls who will still be in the running to become America's Next Top Model. The first name I'm going to call is…. Santana."

Santana let out a huge sigh of relief and walked up to take the lyric sheet he held out.

"Congratulations Santana. You're still in the running to become America's Next Top Model."

"Thank you for believing in me!" Santana said breathlessly, imitating one of the contestants from season six.

After Santana moved off to the side, Kurt's gaze returned to the other girls.

"The next name I'm going to call is…. Brittany."

Across the room Finn leaned over to the other two boys. "What the hell is going on?"

Matt shrugged. "No idea."

"Absolutely none." Mike agreed watching as Brittany clapped and took her "photograph" from Kurt and stepped aside.

Kurt frowned. "Will Rachel and Mercedes please step forward?"

The two girls remaining did as instructed, both of their heads hung in mock shame.

"Mercedes, we'll start with you. At the beginning of this competition you started off strong. Those pictures of you lit on fire were amazing, and the shoot inside of a live whale made us see your potential. But each week you've been falling farther and farther behind. And we're not sure if you can keep up anymore." He turned. "And Rachel, You started off with decent pictures, but lately, you've been doing better. That photo of you eating grass was stunning and you rocked the shoot where you were wearing nothing but Spaghetti-O's. But your diva attitude has overshadowed your performance, and Mr. Jay even said himself that he wasn't sure if you could handle it." Kurt shrugged. "So who goes home? The girl who can rock anything flammable or sea-bound, but isn't able to keep up the pace? Or the girl who loves lawn care and Italian food, but has an issue with her people skills? The last name I'm going to call is…."

Back in their seats the boys found themselves holding their breath as Kurt paused to let the suspense rise.

"Rachel. Congratulations. You're still in the running towards becoming America's Next Top Model."

"Oh thank you! Thank you so much!" Rachel cried happily as she took the last lyric sheet from Kurt's hands. "I promise I won't let you down!"

Kurt smiled softly as she moved over with the other girls, heading slowly over to Mercedes who was now bawling.

"I WANTED TO WIN!" she sobbed. "I DID EVERYTHING I COULD AND LEFT MY HOME AND SHAVED MY HEAD."

"You did good." Kurt said as he hugged her comfortingly. "Go home and practice and work on your smise. With a little more time I think you can make it."

"Thank you Tyra." Mercedes sniffed as she pulled away and made her way to hug the other girls. "Y'all better kick some major ass okay?"

They all stared intensely at each other for a minute, no one in the room daring to make a sound, when suddenly Rachel began to giggle and the rest of the girls and Kurt burst into hysterical laughter.

"Oh my god, my stomach hurts." Rachel said clutching her stomach.

Mercedes was doubled over with giggles and Santana and Brittany were wiping tears from their eyes while Kurt held on to a chair nearby for support.

"Oh good lord," he panted, trying to catch his breath. "That was great."

It was then that Will and Emma walked back into the room, both with content smiles on their faces.

"We've reached a decision." Will stated obviously. "And before we announce the winners we just want to say that each of you blew us away. But there was one pair that stood out the most for us and that team will get to decide on the next number we perform as a group during the school assembly in two weeks." The ten student's eyes went wide.

"They get to pick on their own?" Rachel asked.

Will nodded. "Yep. It's completely up to them- as long as it's school appropriate. So, without further ado…" he glanced at Emma and nodded.

"The winners are…." She paused briefly to let the tension build before grinning. "Santana and Matt! Congratulations!"

The entire room erupted into cheers as Matt and Santana were hugged and high-fived and patted on the back by their peers. Even Rachel smiled at the two warmly and offered her own words of encouragement.

"I must admit, as much as I hate to lose, you two did a very admirable job. That lift was unbelievable."

Matt smiled and wrapped an arm around his partner. "Thanks Rachel."

Santana nodded. "Yeah, I guess." And then when he nudged her she added, "Thanks."

"Do you two have any ideas of what you might choose for our number at the assembly?" Rachel tried to sound as nonchalant as possible, but it was obvious that she was dying to know.

Matt shrugged. "We have a few things in mind but we'll have to think it over a little. We'll let you guys know by Monday, cool?"

"Sounds great." Will answered for the group. "Alright guys, you all did an excellent job today, keep up the good work. I'll see you all Monday."

"So I guess this means we have to get together again and decide on a song." Santana said casually as she followed her partner out the door.

"I guess so." Matt smiled as their fingers intertwined. "How about tonight?"

"I don't know, it might take a long time." She grinned. "You should probably plan on coming over tomorrow too. We have to put a lot of thought into this."

He nodded, mock seriousness on his face. "Oh yeah, lots of thought. For the club."

"Absolutely. But there's a few things that the club probably shouldn't be involved in."

Matt raised his eyebrows. "Really? Like what?"

Standing on the tips of her toes to reach his ear, she whispered, "You'll just have to wait and see." She pressed a quick kiss to his cheek and sauntered off towards her car, calling behind her. "Be there by seven!"

Matt watched her go with a grin on his face. Glee was turning out better than he'd ever imagined.

**-GLEE-**

**A/N: Just a quick note. In case you don't watch America's Next Top Model, a "smise" is the signature look Tyra is famous for- AKA smiling with her eyes. Google it! Who did you think would win the contest? Were you surprised? What song do YOU think they should sing next? Let me know****in the comments!**


	12. Rachel Saves the Day

"_Hush, little baby, don't say a word.  
Mama's gonna buy you a mockingbird _

_And if that mockingbird won't sing,  
Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring _

_And if that diamond ring turns brass,  
Mama's gonna buy you a looking glass..." _

Quinn let out a small moan as she stood, pacing the living room carpet, and bouncing her daughter gently in her arms. Madeline had been crying for almost an hour straight and the young mother had done everything she could think of to comfort her, yet Maddie still showed no signs of stopping anytime soon.

"Come on sweetie, mama will buy you anything you want if you just stop crying!" Quinn bargained to the infant. Hearing no reply other than the continued wails, she sighed and tried a different song.

"_You're my favorite baby in the world.  
You are very special to me.  
I curl up next to you.  
You are my baby in the world.  
Your daddy holds you like a bunny rabbit.  
You are my favorite baby in the world.  
We love you like a butterfly.  
We love you more than a flower.  
You're my favorite baby in the world..." _

"Seriously? I used to love this song when I was little!" Quinn was now on the verge of tears herself, mentally cursing Puck for going out to shoot hoops with Matt. "Come on baby, what can I do to make you smile?" Glancing around the room in desperation a small boom box in the corner caught her eye, sparking an idea.

Placing the still screaming child into the baby swing near the couch, Quinn grabbed the CD sticking out of her purse and popped it into the player, turning the volume up slightly and pressing play.

Hearing the sound of Rachel and Finn's voices start to flow from the speakers, the child's eyes widened. For a moment Madeline looked as if she was in a state of pure shock, and then she began to sniff, her tears slowly beginning to dry.

"That's right baby; you like the music don't you?" Quinn beamed, seeing her daughter's eyes begin to close with tranquility. She would have to send Rachel a thank you gift. Never in the world did Quinn imagine that recording every Glee rehearsal to study would come in handy, but apparently it soothed those who had been a participant since conception. After Finn and Rachel's duet came a group song, and then a ballad by Puck on his guitar, followed by another group number.

When Puck entered the apartment not much later, he couldn't help but smile at the scene before him. Quinn was fast asleep in the armchair, her right leg stretched out to rest on the baby swing where their daughter slept soundly. As soon as he moved to turn the radio off Quinn's eyes snapped open.

"No!" She whispered urgently, racing over to start the CD again. "It's the only way she'll sleep. We can go crazy from listening to it a hundred times, I don't care. Just leave it alone."

Puck's eyes widened at the firmness in her tone. He knew that was her 'I'm-serious-and-don't-fucking-argue-with-me-or-I-really-will-kill-you' voice, so he just nodded and said,

"I'll text Berry and ask her to bring the rest of the CDs over tomorrow."

"Thank you." Quinn sighed and glanced around tiredly. "I'm hungry. Do you want a sandwich?"

"Sure." He took a seat at the small kitchen table and pulled out his cell phone from his pocket to send a text message to Rachel.

_**hey berry, u think u can bring over those rehearsal cds 2mro?**_

Her reply came almost immediately, the tiny beep from the phone earning him a glare from Quinn.

_**Of course Noah. Is there any particular reason?**_

Puck put the phone on vibrate before typing out his answer.

_**they help with maddies freakouts.**_

_**That's wonderful! I would be happy to deliver them. Which volumes would you like?**_

Puck frowned at the tiny screen. She couldn't have that many songs could she?

_**How many do u have?**_

Rachel's response probably shouldn't have surprised him.

_**Our last rehearsal finished Volume Sixteen.**_

Jesus! "Berry says she has sixteen CDs." He informed Quinn as she sat down two peanut butter and banana sandwiches and joined him at the table.

She shrugged. "I guess we should just take them all. At least we know it won't get repetitive, right?"

Puck nodded, taking a large bite out of his sandwich before typing a response.

_**Mind if we use all of em?**_

_**Absolutely not! Anything for the youngest New Directions starlet. Finn and I are about to go out to dinner, we can drop them off now if you'd like.**_

"Yeah, do that." Quinn said as she read the phone he now held between them.

Puck passed the phone over to her. "Here, you do it."

_**rachel? its quinn. if u dont mind wed love for u to bring them.**_

_**Oh hello Quinn! Of course we don't mind! What is baby Madeline up to now?**_

_**thank you so much. sleeping, finally.**_

_**That's good. Infants need plenty of rest. You're very welcome. I'll text message you when we arrive and you can come down to get the disks. That way we won't disturb her.**_

Quinn smiled at the tiny phone. After all the hell they had all been through it was nice to know that they still had people they could depend on.

_**rachel ur a lifesaver. we seriously owe u.**_

_**Think nothing of it Quinn. I'm happy to help. If you need anything else please don't hesitate to ask. (: Finn and I will see you in ten minutes.**_

Quinn flipped the phone shut and set it down on the table, finishing off her sandwich while Puck deposited their plates in the kitchen sink.

"You look a little worn out mama."

She smiled tiredly. "Really? I wonder why."

"I think you need a break. Come here." Holding out a hand for her to take, Puck led her over to the small sofa and pulled her down between his legs.

"Just close your eyes and relax."

Quinn's eyes began to flutter as she felt him lace their fingers together, the tenderness of his lips pressing down on her neck causing her to sigh with pleasure.

"I love you."

Puck smiled, continuing his motions and rubbing his thumbs over their linked hands. "I love you too babe."

**-glee-**

True to her word, exactly ten minutes later Puck's cell phone buzzed with a text message from Rachel announcing her arrival. Grabbing the handheld baby monitor speaker Puck and Quinn eased the door shut gently and headed down the stairs descending to the driveway to find Finn and Rachel standing by the car, a large pink gift bag in her hands and a stack of papers in his.

"Oh, there you two are!" Rachel smiled. "I brought the disks just like I promised."

"We really can't thank you enough Rachel." Quinn said earnestly, accepting the bag. "For some reason it's the only thing that calms her down."

The brunette laughed. "She has good taste."

Puck glanced over at his friend. "Whats with the dictionary?"

"It's your homework." Finn informed him, placing the thick stack of paper in Puck's arms. "Rachel thought it would be a good idea to help you guys out. If you flunk you can't come back to Glee, so…"

"Education is always the most important thing." Rachel was quick to add. "I talked with Mr. Schuester and Ms. Pillsbury, they worked it out with Principal Figgins that for the next few weeks we can bring all of your assignments over to you once a week and hand them in for you. And if you need additional help everyone in Glee has agreed to help out with tutoring."

"Except me and Brittany." Finn added. "We figured we can just, y'know, cheer you on or whatever."

Puck chuckled. "Good looking out buddy."

"Shut up." Finn rolled his eyes and shoved him good naturedly.

"Thank you, both of you." Quinn pulled Rachel into a hug. "And the others. We couldn't do this without all of you."

"Well, we're your friends. That's what we're here for." Patting the blonde on the back as they pulled away Rachel glanced down at the small pink watch on her wrist. "We should go. The movie starts in twenty minutes and the concession line is always lengthy. But we'll see you both soon."

"Sure thing. Thanks again." Puck nodded and wrapped an arm around Quinn as Rachel and Finn got back into the car.

"You know, I'm really proud of you." Rachel commented after a moment.

Finn glanced behind his shoulder to check the back window and slowly pulled out of the driveway. "For what?"

"Being so nice to Puck and Quinn. You've really been good to them and the baby, I'm just really proud of you."

He smiled and grabbed her hand. "It's all because of you." Seeing her smile in return he let out a breath and moved to a new topic. "So what kind of candy do you want? I'm kind of wanting gummy worms and chocolate covered peanuts."

Rachel paused to think for a minute. She and Finn only went to the movies every now and then so when they did she let herself splurge from her normal healthy diet and divulge in sugar and carbs.

"I think I want SnoCaps and Skittles."

He squeezed her hand and chuckled. "That's my girl."

**glee**

**A/N: Only five or six chapters left kids! I know, it seems like this story is never ending! But worry not, I've got several things up my sleeves and you don't want to miss any of it! So stay tuned and REVIEW!**


	13. Rocking Out and Falling In Love

The rest of the weekend passed fairly quickly and before long the remaining ten members of New Directions were gathered back in the choir room. Matt and Santana stood with Mr. Schuester by the piano, their hands intertwined, while the rest of the group waited to hear their decision.

"Okay, Matt and Santana, you both had a very important task this weekend in choosing the song we perform at the school assembly next Friday. What did you come up with?"

"Well, we spent a long time thinking it over," Santana began with a glint in her eye. "But we decided that Glee club needs to go old school on this one. So we're taking it back to the 80's."

Matt smiled. "How do you guys feel about Livin' on a Prayer?"

Grins began to form on the remaining eight student's faces as murmurs of excitement filled the air.

"We were thinking 80's outfits too." Santana added. "Go for the full effect."

"Guys, that sounds awesome. Since it was your idea you get the leads, so I'll need you to stay after so we can work on it." Will said happily. "Rachel, Mike, and Brittany, I need you guys to start on the choreography. Kurt and Mercedes-"

"Already on it." Kurt said pulling his dark purple patterned laptop out of his bag. "These costumes will be fabulous."

"Great. Finn, Artie, and Tina…" he paused to think. "Tina, you can work with Kurt and Mercedes. I know you're good with make-up."

That earned a smile. "Thanks Mr. Schue."

"Artie, you're great with the choreography too, so you can help with that group."

Finn couldn't help but frown. Why did it seem like everyone was good at something but him? Even Brittany was helping with something!

"Finn," Will grinned, despite the fallen face of his remaining student. "How would you like to be on drums?"

A grin of his own instantly lit up the boy's face. "Seriously Mr. Schue?"

"Dude," Matt walked over to clap him on the back. "That would be sick."

Will laughed. "You'd better get to work! We don't have that much time."

That proved to be one hundred percent true. For the next two weeks, Will worked hard with the group, rehearsing for the assembly and prepping for Nationals too. It seemed like no time at all had passed before the ten students were gathered behind the curtain set up on the floor of the gymnasium.

"Brittany, hold still! I have to fix your shoes. Rachel, stop talking! It's making Tina mess up your lipstick. And Mike it's just hairspray, hold your breath and suck it up!" Kurt was yelling orders as if he were an army general while the self proclaimed Glam Squad put the finishing touches on costumes. Rachel turned to glare at him through narrowed eyes at one point, but after an impatient and pleading glance from Tina, she sighed and closed her mouth. Kurt, Mercedes, and Tina had really gone all out to make sure that the 80's outfits were as legit as possible. Among the outfits of their peers were acid wash jeans and denim jackets, Ray-Ban sunglasses, Doc Martins, brightly colored tops, a few poufy skirts, and lots of big jewelry and heavy make-up. Each of the girls was sporting big hair styles and a few of the guys had even been convinced to wear mullet wigs.

"Alright guys, you all know the routine by now. I think we're all past caring about what the rest of the school thinks." Will nodded. "So just… go out there and have fun. The rest will take care of itself."

"Mr. Schue's right." The group all turned at the sound of the familiar voice.

"Quinn! Puck! What are you doing here?" Will moved to give them each a hug, the rest of the kids following suit.

The blonde smiled. "We wanted to be here to cheer you on."

Kurt grinned excitedly. "Did you bring the baby?"

"My mom's watching her." Puck answered, shaking his head. "We're just here to see this and then we gotta head back."

"We just wanted to say good luck." Quinn added with a giggle. "And nice costumes!"

Mercedes rolled her eyes. "Please girl, you know you're jealous!"

"I am actually. It looks fun."

"Will!" Emma's thin figure appeared at the edge of the curtain. "Figgins is almost done with his speech about sexual preditiors. You guys are on!"

"We should go." Quinn grabbed Puck's hand and headed back towards the bleachers. "Good luck!"

"Later!"

"Okay, no more pep talks." Will smiled as he turned to the group one last time. "You guys have this, no problem! Have fun!"

"And, once again, that is how you know if a fellow student is on the path of becoming a rapist." Figgins said into the microphone monotonously. "Keep it clean students. Rapists do not become successful. And with that, I'm going to hand it over to Mr. Schuester."

Hearing the entire gym remain silent, Emma began to clap from her seat in the front row. Quinn soon joined in and, after receiving an elbow to the ribs, Puck too.

"Thank you." Will smiled at the three attentive audience members. "Um, as I'm sure most of you know, I run the Glee club here at McKinley and for the past two weeks we've been working really hard on a number just for you guys!" Still receiving no response, he continued. "Okay. So without further ado, and minus two very important members that we hope to have back with us very soon, here is New Directions!" Once again Emma, Quinn, and Puck proved to be the only ones applauding as the ten remaining Glee club kids made their way from behind the curtain, along with the jazz band that normally backed them up.

"Let's do this!" Matt glanced back at Finn on the drums and began to count off. "One, two, three, four!"

About halfway through the performance, most of the student body actually found themselves getting into the song. And when they reached the last verse Puck and Quinn were not alone in standing on their feet and singing along.

"_Ohh We're half way there  
Woah! Livin' on a prayer!  
Take my hand and we'll make it - I swear  
Woah! Livin' on a prayer!"_

**glee**

"Finn, you're acting crazy! Just tell me what we're doing!" The pleas of his girlfriend fell on deaf ears as Finn continued to pull her through the school hallways by her hand.

"Just come on!"

"Tell me what's going on!"

"I already did!"

Rachel scoffed. "Please, I hardly think 'it's a surprise' constitutes as any sort of worthwhile explanation."

"Well maybe if you stopped being so nosey, then we wouldn't have this problem."

"You are incorrigible!"

Finn laughed. "Nice try. I still don't know what that one means."

"It means you should tell me what's going on! Why are back in the choir room?"

Mr. Schuester had cancelled practice for the day in celebration of a job well done. While everyone else had rushed off to celebrate and relax, Finn had grabbed his girlfriend by the hand and dragged her off for a surprise, still dressed in their eighties outfits from the assembly, despite her protests.

Hearing the soft slam of the choir room door shut behind them Rachel was led to a single chair placed in the center of the room.

"I'm really bad at talking." Finn said simply, his eyes focusing firmly on her face as he began to explain himself. "I know you're like, really good at it, but everybody knows that I'm not… arcit- archidev-"

"Articulate?" The frown on Rachel's face made it clear that she still had no idea where this was going.

He smiled. "That. I suck at speeches. So I thought about it and eventually it hit me that maybe if I can't say it to you then maybe I can try to sing it. So I asked Brad to help me out a little and, well, here's what I came up with."

Much to Rachel's surprise, Finn took a seat at the piano and focused all of his attention on his hands as they carefully began to play out a simple tune.__

"Give me more lovin' than I've ever had  
Make it all better when I'm feelin' sad  
Tell me that I'm special even when I know I'm not

Make me feel good when I hurt so bad  
Barely gettin' mad, I'm so glad I found you  
I love bein' around you  
You make it easy, it's as easy as 1, 2, 1, 2, 3, 4…"

Rachel's eyes began to fill with tears as she recognized the song. Finn's eyes remained on his fingers hitting the keys, and she knew that since he did not know anything about playing the piano at all, he must have worked extremely hard with the accompanist to learn this song for her.__

"There's only one thing to do  
Three words for you I love you  
There's only one way to say  
Those three words and that's what I'll do, I love you

Give me more lovin' from the very start  
Piece me back together when I fall apart  
Tell me things you never even tell your closest friends

Make me feel good when I hurt so bad  
Best that I've had, I'm so glad that I found you  
I love bein' around you  
You make it easy, it's as easy as 1, 2, 1, 2, 3, 4…"

It kind of baffled Rachel how much of a turn her life had taken. For so long it seemed like her high school years would remain covered in slushy and utterly unbearable. But then one boy, _this_ boy, had come along and chose _her _of all people.

It made no sense whatsoever, defied all laws of physics and paranormal activity, but Rachel was positive that she would not have traded it for all the Tony awards in the world. __

"There's only one thing to do  
Three words for you I love you  
There's only one way to say  
Those three words and that's what I'll do, I love you  
I love you

You make it easy, it's easy as 1, 2, 1, 2, 3, 4

There's only one thing to do  
Three words for you I love you  
There's only one way to say  
Those three words and that's what I'll do, I love you  
I love you

1, 2, 3, 4  
I love you  
I love you …" 

Holding the last note for a second, Finn finally lifted his head from the keyboard to say the last part of his speech before he lost all of his nerve.

"I love you Rachel. I'm_ in_ love with you. I think I have been since I joined glee. You see me for who I really am and the person I want to be, even when I screw up and don't act like it." He shrugged. "You just- you make me so freaking_ happy_ Rach and I just really, really love you." He smiled. "Okay, I'm done. You can go now. I know you're dying to." 

For once, Rachel Berry had no idea what she wanted to say. So many things were rushing through her head at one time, so many emotions and feelings she didn't have time to process. So instead of trying to sort through them all, she flew out of her chair and into his arms, landing against his chest with a small thump, and kissed him with everything she had, leaving them both breathless.

"I'm in love with you too." She finally replied, her tone just above a whisper and filled with tears. "I love you so much Finn."

The lanky boy grinned. "You do?"

Rachel let out a laugh. "Of course I do!" And then, with a small shrug, she added, "I always have."

**glee **

**A/N: Awwww. I know it was cheesy at the end, but come on! Who doesn't love a little Finchel cheese now and then? I mean, it's no Break a leg, I love you, but still. Now don't go anywhere! Nationals are still to come! Pack your suitcases readers, because we're going to Disney World!**


	14. We're Out of Here!

"Hey Rach?"

"Yeah?"

"How much underwear am I supposed to pack?"

With a sigh Rachel set down the apple she had been about to eat and headed back to Finn's bedroom. Inside, she found her gangly boyfriend looking down into an empty suitcase lying open on his bed and what appeared to be his entire wardrobe strewn across the room. He glanced up at her and frowned helplessly.

"I've never had to pack for something like this before."

Rachel rolled her eyes and moved to sit on his bed, pushing a pile of clothes out of the way to make room for herself.

"Fine, but I'm not digging through your stuff. I'll just supervise."

He nodded. "That works."

"Alright, first of all we're going to be gone for four days. And since you're supposed to wear clean underwear each day for sanitary purposes you'll need….."

Finn's face lit up with realization. "Four pairs. Thanks babe."

Rachel chuckled. "You're welcome. And you'll need something to sleep in, and socks for each day. The weather is supposed to be warm but I'd bring a pair of jeans and dress pants in case we go out to dinner or there's a breeze." She listed as he grabbed each item and tossed it into the suitcase.

"Shirts, deodorant, sandals, bathing suit, toothbrush, cell phone charger, iPod…." This continued for another few minutes before she smiled. "I think that's it!"

Finn let out a sigh of relief, closing the suitcase and tossing it on the floor before flopping down onto the bed with her, exhausted. "I owe you."

Rachel shrugged. "You can make it up to me by being my pillow on the flight."

"Deal." He leaned in to press a kiss to her lips. "I'm guessing you're packed already?"

"My bags have been sitting by the door for the last nine days ready to go."

Finn laughed. "Of course they have."

"It's never a bad thing to be prepared Finn. This way I have plenty of time to make sure I didn't forget anything."

"You didn't." he stated simply. "You never do. Unless I make you forget something, but that's not your fault."

Rachel's face wrinkled in confusion. "What do you mean you make me forget things?"

The glint in her boyfriend's eye should have tipped her off sooner, but before Rachel could realize what was happening Finn had flipped them over so that his body loomed over her own, pinning her arms gently above her head. Leaning down to take her lips in his own, he wasted no time in slipping his tongue into her awaiting mouth, threading their fingers together and rubbing against her leg intimately.

"Wanna try and go over that packing list again?" he mumbled after a few minutes.

"Nuuuygh," Rachel replied unintelligently. Opening her eyes to see his smiling face just inches from her own, she reached up to fuse her mouth over his, untangling one arm from above her head and using it to stroke the hair on the nape of his neck.

"_Tell them how I  
Am defying __gravity__!  
I'm flying high  
Defying gravity!"_

The bubble around them was broken as the ringing of Rachel's cell phone filled the small room. Finn groaned as they were forced to separate, allowing Rachel to dig her phone out of her pocket.

"_And soon I'll match them in renown  
And nobody in all of-"_

"Hello?"

"Rachel? It's Mr. Schuester." Came the voice from the phone.

"Hey Mr. Schue!" Rachel struggled a bit as she climbed back into a sitting position on the bed, Finn's arms instantly wrapping around her waist from behind.

"Is Finn there with you? I needed to talk to you both about tomorrow." Rachel immediately understood. They were all meeting tomorrow morning at the airport to finally leave for Orlando and compete at Nationals.

"Oh, yeah, he's here. Let me put you on speaker."

Pressing a few buttons on her phone, Rachel leaned back against her boyfriend's chest while holding the small pink device in her hand.

"Hey Mr. Schue," Finn greeted.

"Hey Finn, I'm glad I got a hold of both of you. I just wanted to go over a few things about our trip before we leave tomorrow morning."

"That's cool. What's up?"

"Well, I know we've been on trips together as a group before but this is a bit bigger than the Regionals trip." Will began. "And I realize that everyone is a young adult and responsible, but it's still going to be kind of crazy. So I was hoping that as co-captains you guys would be willing to help keep an eye on things and make sure everyone stays under control."

"Of course we'll help Mr. Schuester. We take our positions as leaders very seriously." Rachel said confidently.

Finn nodded. "Yeah, no problem."

"Great. Obviously Em- I mean, Ms. Pillsbury will be there helping too, but I just wanted to make sure that nothing goes wrong." Will answered sounding relieved.

They had gone over the schedule as a group yesterday at practice. A bunch of parents would be flying down too, but they weren't showing up until Wednesday to see the performance. All of the competitors had to be in Orlando a day early to check in to the hotel, start rehearsing, and have time to get a general lay of the land. On Wednesday, each club would have to perform two numbers and the seven groups that advanced to the finals would perform one last group number on Thursday and fly home Friday evening after the awards ceremony.

Finn let out a breath. "This is gonna be intense."

"Yes, it is." His teacher agreed. "But I really believe that you guys have what it takes to win."

Rachel smiled determinedly. "I know we do."

**glee**

Eight thirty the next morning came after a long night without much rest on anyone's part, many of the kids simply too excited to sleep or their nerves making the option impossible. The ten teenagers were now scattered around the small area they had claimed while waiting to go through security and drop their luggage off.

"Rachel, I need you to do one more head count for me please!" Will announced as he and Emma went over last minute papers fastened to a clipboard that seemed permanently attached to Emma's hands.

"No problem Mr. Schue." Accepting Finn's offered hand to assist her, she stepped onto the chair she had just been sitting in and looked over her peers, checking names off the attendance sheet she held.

"Abrams, Berry, Chang, Cohen-Chang, Hudson, Hummel, Jones, Lopez, Rutherford, and-

"Me! Right here! Rachel, I'm here too! Don't forget me!" Came the unmistakable voice of a peppy blonde. Clad in pajama bottoms the girl was bouncing around and waving her arms wildly.

Rachel rolled her eyes. "Brittany, for at least the fifth time, we haven't forgotten you."

The blonde smiled, relief flooding her face. "Oh, okay. Just checking."

Adding the final check to her list Rachel turned back to her teacher. "We're all accounted for and ready to go Mr. Schuester!"

Will smiled. "Okay, great! I think all we need to do now is-"

"WAIT! WAIT! STOP!"

"HOLD IT! HOLD UP!"

The entire group of twelve turned to the direction of noise and found none other than Quinn Fabray and Noah Puckerman running towards them, baby Madeline strapped to her mother's chest in a black Velcro carrier and Puck's arms filled with luggage.

"Quinn? Puck? What are you guys doing here?" Will's eyes widened to the size of saucers as the two teens came to a halting stop right in front of him, breathing heavily.

Quinn smiled. "Are you kidding? We're not missing Nationals."

Puck nodded in agreement, his cockiness evident. "No way are we letting you win this thing without us."

"But you two don't have-" Emma stopped mid sentence when Puck held up two airplane tickets grinning.

"Turns out they sent us our flight tickets anyway." He said with a shrug. "We just got 'em last night so we packed up our crap and got here as soon as we could."

"But what about the baby?"

Quinn bit her lip. "We were hoping maybe you and Ms. Pillsbury wouldn't mind helping us out there, Mr. Schue. Just while we compete; we brought the playpen so she'll be fine during rehearsals."

"But that still doesn't change the fact that they don't know the choreography." Kurt pointed out.

Mercedes nodded. "Or the harmonies. I mean, I love that y'all want to come and compete, but this is gonna be impossible to pull off. We've already got a lot goin' against us."

The group remained silent for a minute, obviously upset that none of them were able to disagree with Mercedes and Kurt's valid points, before Rachel spoke.

"Then we're just going to have to work really hard to prepare them." She said firmly. "They already know the harmonies from the practice CDs I've loaned them, so that's one problem down. As far as the dance steps go, we'll just have to squeeze in a lot of extra practice between now and when we go on tomorrow." Glancing around at her peers, her tone clearly left no room for argument. "We're a team- all thirteen of us. And we are going to Nationals and we're going to win this."

Will glanced at the newest 'trainee' member of New Directions gurgling happily from her mother's embrace and looking around the airport with wide eyes. The rest of New Directions seemed to have reached the same conclusion, each now sporting fresh looks of determination.

"Alright." Will smiled and clapped his hands together. "Let's go to Nationals!"

**glee**

**A/N: Get ready kids, here we go! Review and tell me how excited you are! **


	15. Dedication Means Being Selfish

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything that I talk about in this chapter. Disney World belongs to Walt Disney and all those other cool people. I'm just a fan of both Glee and Disney.**

**glee**

"We're staying here?"

"Are you serious?"

After a seemingly uneventful three hour plane ride from Ohio to Florida, New Directions had boarded their appointed bus and headed off to their hotel. Similar murmurs of shock and awe were heard amongst the group as the McKinley team made their way inside the lobby of their temporary home. Since Disney was hosting the event, they had provided rooms for all of the Show Choirs at one of their famous resorts.

Disney's All-Star Music Resort paid homage to five classical music genres: Broadway show tunes, calypso, country, jazz, and rock'n'roll. The resort was made up of five pairs of three story buildings- each bright pair themed after a specific musical genre and decorated with gigantic musical instruments. A bright sign above the entrance bore the name of the building as Melody Hall.

Emma stood patiently with the group of bustling teenagers for the brief period of time Will spent checking them in before returning to the group and getting everyone's attention.

"Okay, so this is how it will work: Disney has given us seven rooms, which means that we will be splitting up into pairs. Each room has two beds, so nobody has to sleep on a couch this time." That announcement was met with a round of cheers. Nobody had been looking forward to the arguments that came with fighting for a bed instead of a pull-out sofa.

"Anyway, the obvious thing to do would be to split you up by gender and assign roommates that way, but since Puck and Quinn have a child, as much as we hate to have co-ed room assignments, we're going to have to bend the rules a little. So we're letting Kurt and Mercedes room together along with Quinn and Puck. The rest of the pairs are _and will remain_ as follows: Mike and Artie, Finn and Matt, Santana and Brittany, and Rachel and Tina." Will glanced at the group. "You all have an hour to get settled. We're meeting back here at one thirty to grab something to eat and start rehearsing. They have conference rooms cleared and ready for practice space so be ready." Checking over the information booklets in his hands for any forgotten information, Will seemed content with his speech. "Okay, grab your keys from Ms. Pillsbury and do NOT, under any circumstances, leave this hotel. Clear?" Receiving twelve nods he motioned for Emma to pass out the keys. "Good."

"Hey, Mr. Schue!" As the rest of the group grabbed their belongings and headed for the elevator, Puck and Quinn hung back to speak with their teacher.

"Yeah guys? What's up?"

Quinn smiled softly and bounced the baby in her arms. "We just wanted to say thank you, for everything you're doing for us. We know that we're not making this any easier on you by being here." She paused and sent a pointed look towards Puck, jabbing him with her elbow.

"Yeah, uh, we really appreciate the help." He agreed finally.

Will smiled warmly at the couple. "You're welcome. You guys are all my kids, and a few unexpected turns in the plan aren't going to change that."

**glee**

"So you and Santana, huh?" Finn said casually as he and his roommate unpacked their bags.

Matt grinned and tossed some clothes into the dresser drawer. "Yeah, pretty much."

"I gotta say man, it's weird seeing you like this." Finn shrugged playfully. "All giddy and stuff. Kinda creepy."

"Giddy? Dude, seriously." Matt laughed.

Finn glared at him mockingly. "Shut up! I learned it from Rachel."

"Yeah, you say I'm freaky. You and Rachel aren't weird at all." His friend said with a roll of his eyes.

"Hey, I've loved Rachel since I first joined Glee club." Finn said honestly. "It may have taken me awhile to get my head out of my ass to see it, but it was always there."

"If we're being honest, I've kind of had a thing for San since the sixth grade." Matt confessed. "But if that gets out I'll probably have to kill you. God only knows what she'd do to me if she found out."

Finn laughed. "Got it. You seem happy though."

"I am dude." The two jocks moved to sit on the edge of each bed. "It's crazy. Like, I know she comes off as a bitch sometimes, but when it's just us she lets her guard down or something. And all that tough shit she puts up is really just to protect herself. It may not seem like it, but she's deep, dude. Like, insightful or some shit. It's actually pretty awesome." Finn smiled as his friend went on. "She's kind of the best thing that's ever happened to me." Matt paused. "I sound like a pansy."

"Hey, we're at Disney World competing in a show choir competition." The lanky boy pointed out. "You keep your mouth shut about being a pansy then so will I. We can just… pretend these next few days don't count."

Matt laughed and held out his fist to pound. "Deal. Consider this trip a free pass."

**glee**

Forty-five minutes later, the group of fifteen was sitting around a long table near the back of the Intermission Food Court pigging out on a small smorgasbord of assorted meals. Unable to decide on just one choice, the group had settled the dilemma by having everyone ordering something different and sharing their entrees, allowing each person the privilege of eating what they wanted for only a fraction of the cost. Unfortunately, they were forced to forgo their usual grease and fat indulging preferences and instead chow down on healthy choices. A lot of the kids had been planning on ignoring Rachel's usual plea to improve their diet before a valid point was made.

"Eat all the junk you want. Just remember that you're going to be dancing for the next three days and the judges will undoubtedly knock points off for vomiting during the performance." She shrugged innocently. "But that's one hundred percent your decision."

Maybe it wouldn't hurt to follow her advice just this once.

After the meal, New Directions spent the next few hours going over the choreography and teaching Puck and Quinn the steps.

"No, no, no! It's left, right, right, twist, and TURN on the three count." Rachel said, aggravated. "You're turning on one and a half!"

Puck frowned. "Well excuse me, Miss Perfection! It's not our fault that your choreography is so demanding, not mention that we just started learning this _two hours ago_!"

"I went over the steps on the plane, _Noah!_"

"Yeah, because it's so easy to learn to dance _sitting on an airplane! _It's hard enough standing up!"

Rachel closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose in an effort to calm herself down. "I refuse to fight with you over something as trivial as choreography, especially at a time like this."

"Alright guys, we need to wrap it up. It's already eight thirty." Will said stepping up to the group. "Time to turn in. We have an early day tomorrow."

Rachel shook her head. "No, we can't stop now. We're not ready."

"Rachel, I understand that you're dedicated but-"

"Mr. Schuester, with all due respect, this is far from dedication. This is pure selfishness." The brunette dropped her arms to her sides before resting her hands on her hips and turning to her peers. "For the past year we have worked our asses off. I've been with this group since it was just the five of us singing 'Sit Down You're Rocking The Boat' and it has been hell getting here. There have been walk outs and new people and so many obstacles out to get us, half of those obstacles being our own fault. This is the end of the final stretch; we're competing at Nationals tomorrow. We are not going to start slacking now." Rachel shook her head and paused for a minute before speaking again, this time to Puck and Quinn. "Ten minute break so you two can put Madeline to bed. I'll grab coffee and we'll meet back down here to keep going practicing. The rest of you can go on to sleep; I know the routine well enough to coach them myself."

"Rachel, you can't do that." Will said firmly. "You'll be exhausted for the performance tomorrow and-"

"I can be exhausted when we get back to Lima!" Rachel exclaimed. "I can be exhausted on the plane ride home after we win on Friday! I can be exhausted during summer vacation when we have a National title under our belt! Mr. Schuester, I have the rest of my life to be exhausted. Right now is the time that counts. I'm doing this."

The room was silent as each person took in the reality of Rachel's words.

"You're not coaching them yourself." Finn said finally. "You need a partner. I'm not going to sleep either."

"I've pulled plenty of all nighters before." Santana added while Matt nodded in agreement. "I'm in too."

"So am I."

"And us." Mike gestured between Brittany and himself.

Tina nodded. "Me too."

"And me." Artie said.

Kurt sighed. "As much as I hate to miss my beauty rest and mess up my routine, this is important. So I guess count me in."

"Well I'm not about to break up this team." Mercedes said. "You're not getting rid of me either."

"We're doing this Mr. Schue." Rachel said firmly. "And, with all due respect, there really isn't anything you can do to stop us."

Seeing the determined faces of the twelve kids before him really was a sight for Will Schuester. Less than nine months ago these kids didn't even know of many others existence. They were afraid to break out of their shells and be themselves and all the talent they possessed had never been seen before. But now here they were, standing together as a true team, accepting each other and determined to work together to show the world the gift that they already knew was something special all on its own. After all of that, there was no way he was leaving them to do this on their own now.

"I guess we're staying up then." He said finally. "Emma, would you mind if Maddi slept in your hotel room tonight?"

"That's not a problem at all." Emma replied immediately. "Quinn, Puck, why don't you come with me and get her settled so you can get back to work?"

"I think I saw a Starbucks just outside the lobby." Santana spoke up. "Mr. Schue, can a few of us go and grab coffee for everybody?"

"Yeah, that sounds great Santana." Matt, Brittany and Mike followed the Latina out the door while Emma helped the young parents pack up Maddi and her playpen before heading towards the elevators.

"We're gonna need snacks." Mercedes spoke up. "Artie, Tina, Kurt, ya'll wanna help me out?"

Tina nodded. "Sure thing Mercedes."

"We can just go back to the Food Court and stock up." Artie added.

Kurt glanced over at their teacher, who nodded. "Back in five."

With the rest of the team gone, Will made his way over to the two captains locked in each other's embrace. Rachel's head was resting on Finn's shoulder while his arms were wrapped firmly around her waist, the two of them swaying to the music they were humming under their breath which Will quickly recognized to be the duet they were going to be performing tomorrow. They really were good together.

"You know, I don't think I could be any prouder of you two if I tried." He said after a minute. The two students immediately stopped their humming and sprung apart.

"I mean, after everything that's been put in to this club, just when I think we can't do anything else you both step up and go the extra mile right when it counts. You never fail to surprise me."

Rachel slowly pulled her arms away from the lanky boy in front of her and turned to face her teacher. "This club means the world to us, Mr. Schue. It's brought us out of what used to be the run-of-the-mill social hierarchy and showed us that it's okay to be different. That being yourself is the best thing in the world to be."

Finn nodded. "And it helped us figure out who our real friends are. We owe you for that."

Will let out a grunt and glanced at his shoes in an effort to not let his emotions show. "Well, you guys have earned everything you have. I'm just happy to be a part of it."

"You're the reason for it." Rachel said simply. "If it wasn't for you I'd still be getting slushied on a daily basis."

"And I'd still be the jock that refused to stand up for what he believes in." Finn added. "Face it Mr. Schue, because you took over glee club you pretty much forced the rest of us to own up to who we really are. And now we know that, that's pretty awesome."

Will grinned tearfully. "Thank you both. That really means a lot to me. Come here," holding his arms open he gave the two students a fatherly embrace before letting out a breath and pulling away just as the others made their way back in the conference room. "Okay! Let's get's get to work. From the top!"

**glee**

**A/N: Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed part one of the big finale! Originally this was going to be the last chapter. I had planned for 15, but as I wrote it just kept getting longer and longer so I decided to split it up into three parts. On a completely different note, the Disney All-Star Music Resort is one hundred percent real. I looked up Disney Resorts online and found it, so all the descriptions are accurate. It was only one of like four or five resorts and they all had different themes: movies, pop culture, and more! Google it and check it out, the pictures are amazing. And as always, review! **


	16. The Moment of Truth

**Disclaimer: Wanna know what sucks? I don't own even a little tiny bit of the songs that are sung in this story. Boo. Just thought I'd make that clear.**

**glee**

New Directions ran through the two numbers they would be performing the following day during the first round until the wee hours of the morning, along with the last song Mr. Schuester was positive would bring home the win during the finals, until each and every step was burned into every person's brain. The kids finally went to sleep that night both exhausted and full of adrenaline for what was to come. They had prepared and done everything to the best of their ability and, win or lose, they were ready to do this.

That morning, after a very tense breakfast, the kids met once again in the conference room. This time, they only went through the numbers twice, and then headed back upstairs to begin getting ready. While the guys played video games and took naps, the girls made themselves comfy in Mercedes and Kurt's room. Each in a plush Disney bathrobe from the hotel, their hair was wrapped up on top of their heads in towels while Tina set to work on make-up, Brittany and Santana did nails, and Kurt and Mercedes tended to hair. Rachel went over each of their outfits with a lint roller and ironed a few pieces that wrinkled over the plane ride and Quinn tended to baby Maddi while trying to avoid getting any of her appearance messed up. Surprisingly, the normal tiffs and petty fights had yet to make an appearance; instead the group ran like a well oiled machine. Apparently, the stress from the competition and lack of sleep didn't have completely negative effects.

"How are we doing ladies?" Emma entered the room a few hours later to find most of the girls in the base of their outfit, each of them still needing to be worked on just a bit more before completion.

"Ms. P, what's the situation time-wise?" Mercedes asked.

"You girls have about thirty minutes before we need to leave." Emma replied.

"Perfect, that's just enough time."

The guidance counselor nodded. "Also, Will just finished talking to your parents. They all arrived to their hotel safe and sound and they're excited to see you perform."

"Excellent." Rachel smiled. "This is going to be amazing. I can just feel it! We're going to win."

"Hell yes." Santana agreed. "Watch out Nationals, McKinley is here to stay!"

True to their word, the girls and Kurt arrived in the lobby exactly thirty minutes later where Will, Emma, and the rest of the guys were waiting to leave. Upon their exit from the elevator, seven gasps were heard.

"You guys look fantastic!"

The girls grinned proudly. The outfits had been, surprisingly, Brittany's idea. Each girl was dressed in a bright red, puffy sleeved dress with black heels. The dresses were covered in white polka-dots and black headbands adorned with bright red bows were situated in their hair, along with white gloves on their hands. They looked like modern day versions of Minnie Mouse and matched perfectly with the guys red ties also with white dots and all black dress clothes.

"Wait, wait! You haven't seen the best part." Santana and Brittany stepped apart to reveal Quinn holding baby Maddi, who was dressed in an official Minnie Mouse costume found in the gift shop.

"Ta-da!" Quinn laughed and held up the child proudly, passing her into the awaiting arms of her father.

"I don't think there's a better looking group in this whole competition!" Emma said happily.

Will nodded. "I couldn't agree more. Now who's ready to go show them what we've got?"

Met with a cry of joy- even Emma was joining in- Will nodded. "Let's go do it New Directions style!"

**glee**

"I really hope they can pull this off." Will whispered an hour and a half later as he sat in the audience. "They stayed up really late last night and it has to catch up to them sometime."

Emma shook her head and bounced the baby sitting in her lap. "They'll be fine Will."

"Yeah…"

"You just have to relax. Hey," Grabbing his hand she looked him in the eye. "You've done everything you can. They're ready. And so are you."

Squeezing her hand, Will smiled. "Thanks Emma."

It seemed like only seconds had passed when the audience fell silent and the lights went down.

"And now, from Lima, Ohio," came the voice over the speakers, "William McKinley High School's New Directions."

Will let out a nervous breath, muttering quietly to himself. "This is it."

Emma nodded. "Here we go."

"_Get a load of me  
Get a load of you,  
Walking down the street  
And I hardly know you  
It's just like we were meant to be…"_ Finn's voice came out of the silence as a single spotlight shined down to where he stood on the right edge of the stage. A second spotlight appeared only seconds later on the opposite end as Rachel began to sing.

_"Holding hands with you  
When we're out at night,  
Got a girlfriend  
You say it isn't right,  
And I've got someone waiting too."  
_  
Meeting at the center, the two teenagers joined hands and turned to face their partner, as if singing directly to each other instead of the audience.

"_What if this is just the beginning?  
We're already wet and we're gonna go swimming._

Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you?  
Why can't I speak whenever I talk about you?  
Its inevitable... it's a fact that we're gonna get down to it  
So tell me...  
Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you?"  
  
Finn grinned as he sang the next part.

"_Isn't this the best part of breaking up?  
Finding someone else you can't get enough of.  
Someone who wants to be with you too,"_

Rachel's grin matched as she joined in.

_"It's an itch we know we are gonna scratch  
Gonna take a while for this egg to hatch  
But wouldn't it be beautiful?_

Here we go we're at the beginning  
We haven't sung yet, but my head's spinning.

Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you?  
Why can't I speak whenever I talk about you?  
It's inevitable, it's a fact that we're gonna get down to it  
So tell me  
Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you?"

It was true that a female had originally sung this song solo, the entire club knew that. But with the magic of Finn and Rachel's voices combined they had managed to turn the number into an amazing re-vamped duet that Liz Phair would surely be proud of if she had been able to hear it. For the last verse Rachel sang the first bits in high key, while Finn followed with the undertones as they faced the audience.  
_  
"High enough for you to make me wonder  
Where it's goin'  
High enough for you to pull me under  
Somethin's growin'  
Out of this that we can't control  
Baby I am dyin,_

Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you?  
Why can't I speak whenever talk about you? 

_Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you?  
Why can't I speak whenever talk about you?_

_Why can't I breathe whenever I think about you?_

_Whenever I think about you…"_

Holding the last note, Finn and Rachel grinned at the audience before glancing at each other and nodding once. Then, they let out a loud scream from the top of their lungs as familiar chords began to play loudly from the band much faster than normal while the rest of the team ran out onto the stage. For their second number they had decided to go with a classic, but much faster and almost hip-hop sounding to show their creativity.

"_From the day we arrive on the planet," _Mercedes sang.

"_And blinking, step into the sun,"_ Kurt added.

"_There's more to see than can ever be seen-" _Artie began only to be finished by Tina.

"_More to do than can ever be done!"_

Brittany went next, then Mike.

"_There's far too much to take in here,_

_More to find than can ever be found."_

"_But the sun rolling high_

_Through the sapphire sky," _Matt sang.

"_Keeps great and small on the endless round!"_ Santana grinned as they all came together and sang the chorus.

"_It's the Circle of Life!_

_And it moves us all!_

_Through despair and hope!_

_Through faith and love!_

_Till we find our place,_

_On the path unwinding!_

_In the Circle,_

_The Circle of Life!"_

"_It's the Circle of Life,"_

"_Oh it's the circle!" _Rachel sang.

"_And it moves us all!"_

"_Yeah it moves us!" _Finn continued.

"_Through despair and hope_

_Through faith and love!"_

This time the pair sang together.

"_It can take us there!"_

"_Till we find our place_

_On the path unwinding!"_

"_Yeeeeeaaaah!" _Mercedes grinned as she sang the remaining undertones of the song.

"_In the Circle,"_

"_The Circle, ya'll!"_

"_The Circle of Life!"_

"_One more time!"_

"_In the Circle,"_

"_Ohhhh,"_

"_The Circle of Life!" _

The lights went down again, fading the room once again to darkness. As the kids ran off the stage the audience erupted in loud cheers and tumultuous applause.

"That was AWESOME!" Artie roared.

"Screw awesome, we kicked ASS!" Puck shouted. "We got this shit in the bag!"

Mercedes grinned. "Hell yes!"

Will and Emma arrived backstage not long after, the baby in Emma's arms being passed to her mother before the two teachers were surrounded by excited teenagers.

"Hey! You guys were amazing out there!" Will said happily, patting the arms and backs of whoever he could reach in congratulations. "I couldn't be prouder than I am right now."

"Even Maddi was dancing along!" Emma piped up, directing her words to Puck and Quinn. "She kept pointing to the two of you and laughing."

"That's because she's smart!" Puck gloated as he tickled his baby girl. "She knows when her mommy and daddy kick butt, don't you little girl? Huh? Don't you?"

Quinn laughed. "We've taught her well."

"Ladies and gentlemen, right now we will be taking a twenty minute intermission while the judges tally the results." A voice said coming over the loudspeaker.

"Your parents are outside waiting to see you." Will announced leading the group out into the lobby. The kids were met with a large group filled with family members cheering and talking loudly while several cameras went off.

There was Finn's mother, Rachel's two fathers, Mercedes mom and dad, Kurt's father, Both of Artie's parents along with his younger sister, Tina's father, Puck's mother and little sister, Matt's mother, father, and older sister, Mike's parents and younger brother, and Brittany's mom and little sister.

After a quick evaluation Emma counted a total of twenty extra people, and that was only because Tina's parents were divorced and her mother had been forced to stay at home to look after her two younger siblings. Quinn's parents still had yet to speak to her since she had gotten pregnant and Santana had made it clear that she and her parents were not on good terms either. So instead, the two girls had taken to the families of their friends and boyfriends, long past the desires of their own genetics.

"I need a picture of the team!" Mrs. Jones called as the group got into a cluster and smiled at the camera. This, of course, sparked the beginning of a photo session and soon every parent had their own camera out and was demanding different shots from the kids.

"Okay, now everyone make funny faces!"

"That's cute! Now another serious one!"

"Oh, we need all the couples together!"

"For goodness sake! Relax a little, you all look so stiff! Put your arms around each other and pretend to actually like your friends!"

"Mr. Schuester, we need you and Ms. Pillsbury in here too! You're both just as much a part of the team!"

This continued until the lights began to flicker and another announcement was heard over the speakers for the audience to return to their seats and the schools to return to their designated places backstage.

"You guys go get that spot in the finals!" Mrs. Rutherford said kissing her son's cheek for luck and then moving to peck Santana as well.

Mr. Abrams nodded in agreement. "We'll see you after!"

Will grinned as he herded the kids backstage again. "Okay guys, here we go!"

"Does anyone else feel like they're going to be sick?" Tina asked, getting a response of multiple nods and calls of affirmation along with two or three raised hands. "Okay, good. I was just making sure it wasn't just me. It's all good."

Before the results were announced, it was revealed that the judges had selected seven teams to move forward and compete. New Directions held their breath. Seven teams out of over thirty. The odds were slim. If their name wasn't called their chance at holding the National title was gone and they were going home.

"In no specific order, the first team that will be moving on to the finals is… Allendale High School's Sound Revolution!" Loud screams of joy were heard and New Directions confidence fell more and more as each team was announced. Riverside High's Lyrical Vehemence, Fairdale Academy's Central Attraction, Grant High School's Velocity, Cherrywood Academy's Sonant Severity…. And then, just as they were about to lose all hope-

"McKinley High School's New Directions!" Cheers, cries, and shouts of relief were released. The teams had been announced at random order, so maybe they did have a chance after all. The ceremony ended after Andover Prep's Choral Coalition was given the remaining spot in the finals and the room was dismissed after the judges wished all of the teams good luck and a job well done, whether they had made it past this round or not. The fact that they had made it this far, the judges said, was a major accomplishment in itself.

"Screw that crap, we're going to the finals!" Puck shouted as they exited.

The group nodded happily in agreement. The lengthiest part of the competition was over, now all they had to do was sing their final song against six other teams that were the best in the nation and take home the National title.

…This was going to be a lot harder than it sounded.

**glee**

**A/N: So they made it to the finals! Yay! I want your predictions now: What do you think they'll sing in the finals? More importantly, do you think they'll win? I want to know what you guys think! **

**Also, the names for the other choirs are both real and made-up. Some of them are actual show choir names I found online, others I came up with myself. It was a pretty simple process actually. I just used the online thesaurus for the words "vocal" and "adrenaline" and paired words together. Ta-da! Glee club names! And I don't own the Lion King, but it was my favorite movie growing up. I've only seen it like two hundred times, so no biggie.**

**In my head I like to think of New Directions' version of the song as a faster version of the cover by the Disney Channel Circle of Stars. Remember that? With Raven and Ren Stevens and Lizzie McGuire? Good times! Anyway, I'll stop blabbering now and just ask that you review. It's almost over people, send a few parting words! **


	17. Endings

**A/N: Tear! So this is it! We've reached the end of the line. I cannot express to you how much love and gratitude I have for all of my readers. You guys made the experience of writing this story so incredibly amazing in every way, and I really just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. Sigh. I'll stop the babbling now and get on with it. I briefly considered breaking this chapter up, but since the past three chapters were originally supposed to be one I decided to just let the end be extra long. I hope you like it.**

**Without further ado, here is the conclusion to Falling into Place.**

**Disclaimer: Seventeen chapters later and I still don't own anything. Boo. **

**glee**

The rest of the evening was spent almost entirely in celebration mode. New Directions had gone out to a celebratory dinner with the parents and siblings as one huge group, taking up almost half of the Wolfgang Puck Café located in Downtown Disney where they splurged on large savory meals like Chilean Salmon, Tortilla Soup, Rigatoni, Crab cakes, Ravioli, Ceaser Salad, Margherita and Barbeque Chicken wood-fired Pizza, and California Rolls. And after a lengthy discussion of which dessert to have, they decided to get one of everything to be shared: Crème Brulee Cheesecake, Key Lime Pie, Chocolate Lava Cake, Carrot Cake, Double Chocolate Mud Pie, and sugar free Cheesecake topped with raspberry puree and fresh berries…

After the meal, they practically rolled back to the hotel, too full to do anything but climb in to bed and dream of the day to come.

**glee**

It seemed as if they had only blinked before New Directions was back at the performance hall dressed in their costumes and about to perform once again. The atmosphere felt different, they realized. The familiar buzz of excitement had dimmed and now they stood in silence, the reality of the situation setting in. This was the end of the line. There was no other round to advance to; whether they won or lost this was it. They were going home tomorrow after the official award ceremony as winners or losers and no matter what went down, this really was their last performance of the year.

"I'm not going to give you guys a speech." Will said finally stepping up to face the group. "There's nothing left to say that hasn't already been said before. But you guys have done everything you could to the best of your ability and as both your teacher and friend, I couldn't have asked for a better group of people to be here with. So just… go out there and be those people and _kick ass_."

"Mr. Schue!" Puck looked at his teacher with wide eyes and a newfound appreciation, which caused the older man to go scarlet.

"Don't say it." he warned. "Just go. Get in order and go." He chuckled as the wide-eyed teenagers laughed and did as instructed. "Go!"

Emma grinned as they headed back to their places in the audience, baby Maddi still firmly in the grasp of the redhead. "This is going to be something else. Glee club history in the making, right here."

"They can do this." Will muttered to himself as the room once again went black and Emma's hand slipped into his. "They can do this."

"Ladies and gentlemen, once again please welcome from Lima, Ohio," said the announcer, "William McKinley High School's New Directions!"

Slowly the opening chords to the secret weapon song were played, a spotlight shining down on each person as they stood side by side across the stage and began to sing.

"_Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand_

_Six Hundred Minutes  
Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand_

_Moments So Dear…  
Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand _

_Six Hundred Minutes  
How Do You Measure - Measure A Year?_

_In Daylights - In Sunsets  
In Midnights - In Cups Of Coffee?  
In Inches - In Miles  
In Laughter - In Strife?_

In - Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand  
Six Hundred Minutes  
How Do You Measure  
A Year In The Life?

How About Love?  
How About Love?  
How About Love?  
Measure In Love…

Seasons Of Love  
Seasons Of Love…"  
  
Santana stepped forward to sing the first solo.

_"Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand  
Six Hundred Minutes  
Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand  
Journeys To Plan…_

Five Hundred Twenty-Five Thousand  
Six Hundred Minutes  
How Do You Measure The Life  
Of A Woman Or A Man?"

As Santana stepped back in line Puck moved up front to take the next part.

_"In Truths That She Learned  
Or In Times That He Cried,  
In Bridges He Burned  
Or The Way That She Died!"  
_  
The kids all began to grin and clap as they neared the end of the song together_._

_"It's Time Now - To Sing Out  
Tho' The Story Never Ends!  
Let's Celebrate  
Remember A Year In The Life Of Friends!_

Remember The Love…  
Remember The Love…  
Remember The Love…  
Measure In Love…"  


Mercedes took the final solo and sang the last part with every fiber in her body.

_"Measure, Measure Your Life In Love!"  
_

It was almost unreal how amazing these kids sounded together and as they wrapped their arms around each other and sang the last few words, Will Schuester had tears in his eyes.

_"Seasons Of Love...  
Seasons Of Love!"_

**glee**

There were no words spoken after the number, they weren't needed. Each of the twelve kids knew exactly what was felt and the silence was enough for the moment. After such a long and rigorous journey, the last few hours were spent huddled backstage in a tight cluster, almost in prayer, waiting as the remaining teams gave their performances. The kids of New Directions refused to pay attention to their competition; the speaker in their room was turned off. Whether or not another team sounded better or worse didn't matter anymore. They had given absolutely everything they had and nothing was going to change that. The outcome would be whatever was decided and worrying about the competition would only make the wait even more excruciating than it already was. Finally, a knock on the door burst the kids out of their bubble and a short woman with a headset stuck her head in the room.

"McKinley High School? We need all teams on stage to announce the results."

Several deep breaths were let out around the room before Will stood and looked at his kids bravely.

"Let's go." And so the kids of William McKinley High School did exactly as their leader requested and stood, hearts beating wildly, taking the hands of their friends and heading to the stage linked together as one. Madeline Puckerman rested in her father's arms, Emma Pillsbury grasped Tina's hand firmly at the back of the line, and Mr. Schuester headed the front of the line with his right hand firmly connected to Rachel Berry's left. The room was silent enough to hear a pen drop, even the baby had gone silent, as one of the judges stepped up to the microphone holding a sealed envelope.

"Before we announce the winners, I would just like to say that on behalf of the entire judging committee this decision has not been easy." The grey-haired woman said. "And also, that it has been a true honor getting to see each and every one of these groups perform. By all standards, every single person here today has a gift and you are all winners." She sighed. "However, we do have some trophies to present, so without further ado, the third runner up in the National Show Choir Competition… from Orange County, California- Riverside High School's Lyrical Vehemence!" A small trophy was presented as a round of applause was given for fourth place.

"The second runner up- the bronze- goes to Andover Prep's Choral Coalition from Westbrook, Maine!" Another round of applause was heard before the judge went somber.

"The 2010 National Show Choir Runners Up, with the silver, from Lima, Ohio- McKinley High School's New Directions!"

For a moment, it was as if the kids had been frozen. No one uttered a sound or moved an inch as McKinley received its own applause and the parents gave a standing ovation. To absolutely no one's surprise, Rachel Berry was the first to regain the ability to speak.

"Second place." She said. And then, louder, "SECOND PLACE! WE GOT SECOND PLACE!"

"Thank you God!" Mercedes shouted. The rest of the team followed, cheering and screaming praise and words of joy as the large silver trophy was handed to Artie.

"And now, the moment you have all been waiting for. The grand prize winners and 2010 Show Choir National Competition Grand Champions are: from Washington D.C. - Cherrywood Academy's Sonant Severity!"

Balloons were released from nets high above the ceiling as screaming and clapping filled the room. All seven of the teams were huddled into their respective groups, the winners full of happiness and excitement while the others mourned their loss and months of hard work. Tears were all around.

"Take that Sue Sylvester!" Will shouted from the center of the group.

"Kiss my ass Karofsky!" Rachel screamed.

Finn grinned. "Who's the losers now?"

It sure as hell was no longer New Directions.

**glee**

After the trek back to the hotel, the kids of New Directions changed out of their costumes and back into the comfort of their street clothes before heading to Magic Kingdom to celebrate their victory. The remainder of the day was spent acting like children, running around the park high on sugar, riding rides, and taking pictures with Disney characters. The day ended with the entire group getting matching Mickey and Minnie Mouse ears with each of their names stitched in silver across the back.

"This day has been amazing." Rachel said that evening as she and Finn lay lazily spread over the comforter on his hotel bed. Matt had ran off with Santana somewhere, doing only god knew what, leaving the room to just the two of them.

Finn nodded. "This whole trip has. I still can't believe that when we get back to Lima we'll have a second place trophy to show off." His eyes suddenly went wide as a thought occurred to him. "Grab your ears."

Rachel laughed as he scrambled off the bed and began to dig into his suitcase with urgency, finally producing his laptop.

"Finn, what are you doing?" she asked, setting her ears to perch proudly on the top of her head.

Finn put his own ears on and began to power up the computer. "I just remembered someone that we have to talk to." He climbed back on the bed and leaned against the headboard, pulling Rachel to sit between his legs as he logged online and began hitting various icons. Not a minute later Sean Fretthold's face was staring at them through the monitor.

"Finnster, please tell me you did not set up the webcam just so I can watch you and the Mrs. do the nasty." The boy teased.

Finn rolled his eyes. "Shut the hell up dude."

Sean laughed. "Whatever loser. Hey Rachel."

"Hi Sean." Rachel grinned at the screen.

"Nice ears."

Finn pretended to look confused. "What do you mean?"

"Cut the crap, dumbass. I've been waiting on you forever. How'd it go?" Both Finn and Rachel had made sure to keep Sean clued in on every detail concerning Glee club. They'd both been texting him regularly throughout the trip with updates but because of how busy they'd been, Sean had yet to know the final results of the competition.

"Well, we didn't win." Finn said finally.

Sean frowned. "Damn it, that sucks. I'm sorry."

"Yeah." Rachel nodded solemnly before a wicked grin stretched across her face. "I guess we'll just have to settle for being runners up."

"ARE YOU SHITTING ME?" Sean's eyes went wide as Finn and Rachel began to laugh. "You got second? Guys, that's awesome!"

"I know, right?"

Sean laughed. "I see the simplicity of normal civilian language is beginning to rub off on you Rachel."

The brunette shrugged good-naturedly. "I'm working on it."

"Good to know." he smiled. "Damn, second place. Not bad at all."

"Sean, did I just hear yelling?" The caring voice of Mrs. Fretthold was heard in the background, causing Sean to glance away from the computer screen.

"Yeah mom, I'm talking to Finn and Rachel. They came in second."

"Really?" Sean's mother soon appeared on the screen next to him. "Congratulations kids! That's great news!"

Finn and Rachel smiled. "Thanks Mrs. F."

"Thank you very much Mrs. Fretthold."

"The next time you two drop by I'll make sure to have some cookies out to celebrate."

Rachel nodded happily. "That sounds great."

"You guys got a trophy to show us or what?" Sean asked.

Finn shook his head. "We got to see it earlier but they're presenting it officially tomorrow at some sort of ceremony."

"Nice. Well, send me a picture as soon as you can and bring it over next time you drop by." Sean demanded. "Tell Schuester I need to see this thing in person. If he still seems iffy, show him my picture and cry."

"Sean!"

"Mom, this is important."

Mrs. Fretthold rolled her eyes. "I'm going to finish the laundry. Congratulations again kids."

"Thanks Mrs. F!"

Sean frowned. "Yeah, I should probably go too. I'm worried that if I hold you guys up too long you'll start making out in front of me or something and I really don't wanna have to see that."

Rachel gasped. "Sean, we would never do that!"

"Oh yes we would." Finn chuckled and kissed her cheek. "Later buddy."

"We'll see you soon." She promised.

Sean smiled just before the screen went black. "Bye guys."

"Finn, that was mean." Rachel scolded lightly as her boyfriend moved to put the laptop away again.

"I was just messing with him, kinda." Finn laughed.

"You're terrible." Rachel said. And she meant it, but that still didn't stop her from leaning up and kissing him.

Finn grinned down at her. "I know. But you love it."

And as much as Rachel hated to admit it, she really did.

**glee**

The awards ceremony the following day was pretty standard. All of the Glee clubs that had participated in the competition were present, each of the kids dressed out of costume in nice clothes and there were bigger smiles on some club's faces than others. More speeches were given from sponsors of the competition and a few Nationals Committee members, each of them saying how proud they were of every participant and that this year had been the best and most impressive competition yet, and they couldn't wait to see everyone next year. Finally, they got to the presentations.

The three teams from the top ten groups that had not placed were given small trophies for their hard work and dedication. Lyrical Vehemence was presented with their fourth place trophy and Choral Coalition was given the bronze. When the large silver trophy was presented to New Directions, the co-captains had accepted it together, passing it to Mr. Schuester with grins they were sure not a thing in the world could wipe off their faces. Once Sonant Severity had been given the gold- and New Directions gave a hearty round of applause and congratulations, they were extremely humble and even shook their competitors' hands using the show choir manners Rachel had been drilling into their heads over the past few weeks- pictures were taken.

Not only did the parents want to get photographs, it turned out, so did all kinds of newspapers and magazines and websites. After the professional photos were taken the parents were given time to go wild with their own cameras, taking photos in every pose imaginable with every combination of people: boyfriends and girlfriends, each child with Mr. Schuester and Ms. Pillsbury, and mixtures of everything else in between. The kids themselves got a few pictures with other Glee clubs, mainly the other winners, and it was a surprise to all when Mickey Mouse and his friends wandered in near the end of the assembly for photos too.

A week after returning home to Lima, an assembly was held in front of the whole school to celebrate New Directions' victory. The local paper interviewed them and Principal Figgins surprised everyone by presenting the club with a brand new trophy case just for their Nationals award. As a final treat, the club performed the three numbers that had won them the title in Orlando at the assembly. Three days later final exams were completed and the Glee club was back in the choir room for the last hour of school before the final bell rang and summer vacation officially began.

"So this is it." Rachel let out a huge breath and glanced around at the circle of what were now her best friends. "We're really finished for the year."

"I can't believe it's all over." Tina mused. "We've just all been through so much, it doesn't seem real."

"Cheer up guys, we'll be back next year." Mr. Schuester said encouragingly. "And I really believe after what happened last week, next year is going to be your best yet. Everyone knows you're serious now."

Finn shrugged. "It doesn't really matter what they think anymore, Mr. Schue."

"Finn's right. After everything that we've been through, I think it's obvious that the support of the school is just a small detail for us at this point." Kurt pointed out. "But it will nice not to be slushied every day."

Rachel nodded. "I second that."

"Okay this is sweet and all but we need to get on with it." Santana finally spoke up.

Mercedes laughed. "I gotta agree with Santana on this one. Come on guys."

Will frowned as the twelve kids began pushing the chairs back and moving around the room. "What are you guys doing?"

"We have a surprise for you Mr. Schue." Artie explained.

"A little something to say… well, you'll see." Matt shrugged, causing the rest of the kids to laugh as they got into position.

"Hit it Brad." Rachel smiled at the piano player as she stood at the front of the group to sing the first part of the song.

"_I'm nothing special, in fact I'm a bit of a bore  
If I tell a joke, you've probably heard it before  
But I have a talent, a wonderful thing  
'Cause everyone listens when I start to sing  
I'm so grateful and proud  
All I want is to sing it out loud…"_

The entire group joined in for the chorus.

"_So I say  
Thank you for the music, the songs I'm singing  
Thanks for all the joy they're bringing  
Who can live without it, I ask in all honesty  
What would life be?  
Without a song or a dance what are we?  
So I say thank you for the music  
For giving it to me…"_

"Mother says I was a dancer before I could walk," Mike sang._  
"She says I began to sing long before I could talk." _Mercedes joined in._  
_

Kurt took the next part.

"_And I've often wondered, how did it all start  
Who found out that nothing can capture a heart  
Like a melody can  
Well, whoever it was, I'm a fan…"_

By now everyone was standing in a half circle facing their teacher as they sang.

"_So I say  
Thank you for the music, the songs I'm singing  
Thanks for all the joy they're bringing  
Who can live without it, I ask in all honesty  
What would life be?  
Without a song or a dance what are we?  
So I say thank you for the music  
For giving it to me…"_

"I've been so lucky, I am the girl with golden hair," Quinn sang._  
"I wanna sing it out to everybody  
What a joy, what a life, what a chance!" _Brittany and Santana happily added.__

"Thank you for the music, the songs I'm singing  
Thanks for all the joy they're bringing  
Who can live without it, I ask in all honesty  
What would life be?  
Without a song or a dance what are we?  
So I say thank you for the music  
For giving it to me

Thank you for the music  
For giving it to me..."

End.

**glee**

**A/N: The two songs used in this final chapter were Seasons of Love from the musical RENT and Thank You For The Music by ABBA. I don't own any of it, just in case you were wondering. **

**Thanks again for opening yourself up to the joy of this story with me. **


End file.
